Teen Titans: The Bonds We Share
by DarkAuraX
Summary: Was it fate? Or just coincidence that six teenagers would be brought together through strange circumstances to form an unlikely team? After coming to the aid of an alien, these six adolescent heroes will discover just how strong friendship can truly become.
1. Go!

The Earth, floating forever through the vastness of space as a, rather unpleasant-looking, red spaceship flew by in the distance. Its fuselage in the shape of a large rounded disc, with a narrow spindle topped by a circular projection standing dead center on the upper surface, which appeared to be the bridge. Several spikes extended from the diameter on either side, while two larger ones pointed straight ahead to flank the main gun.

Inside the ship, the sound of a drawn-out, muffled, blood-curdling scream could be heard. A closed steel door slid open and expose a corridor where two winged reptilian humanoids with long tails, and armed with a long spear, marched through. These creatures had a face that resembled that of a skull, with narrow red eyes, and red lines that ran across the edges of their faces. They were covered in dark green scales, and wore faded gold colored armor. As they approach a closed door at the far end of the corridor, the sound of a feral growl and pounding of distant fists against a wall was heard.

The two reptilian creatures reach the door; it opened to reveal two more reptiles posted at a steel-fronted cell with spears crossed. There was a glass slot that allowed the guards to look through the door at the captive. The screams came louder and more intense as they got closer, and the pounding growing ever stronger. "Will the door hold?" One of the reptilian aliens asked the two guards.

"It must." One guard responded as more screaming and banging was heard from behind the cell.

"The alien will be delivered on schedule." The other guard added as he straightened his spear.

The pounding became even greater against the cell door as it slowly gave way to the constant banging it was receiving. The four reptilian guards turned to see this. "And if this thing gets loose?" The fourth alien asked, noticing that the glass slot on the door cracked.

"Then Zorg help us all." One of the reptilian aliens who were guarding the cell answered.

At that moment, one final piercing scream rang through the corridor, the glass slot on the door final breaking, and two burning green eyes rose into view behind it. The guards took a few steps back, bracing themselves for anything and everything. One last yell rang out and the door blew outward off its hinges, blowing back with enough force to be sent flying at the four guards and crashing down the corridor. They moved the door and looked back at the now open prison cell. At first they saw nothing but total darkness, but soon after, the green eyes ignited again and their owner stepped out into the light.

The light revealed a young orange skinned female, with long auburn red hair. Over her forehead and around her face, she wore a vaguely M-shaped face guard that reached around her jaw. Around her neck she wore a silver pauldron with a black broach-like object above her chest. She also had silver shoulder pads, and her arms, stomach, and thighs were covered in purplish-segmented body armor. She wore a black form fitting tank top that stopped above her where her midriff would be, a black skirt with a silver belt, and thigh-length boots with silver trim around her thighs as well as her soles. In addition to all this, her hands and forearms were encased in thick, rigid, bulky white and black-trimmed cuffs, leaving her elbows free and held in place by a bolt that met at where her hands would be. "Zengtha ru maka!" The orange skinned prisoner screamed, "Kek zengtha ror!" The next thing the four guards knew, their prisoner was flying toward them faster than they could react.

The four reptilian aliens quickly readied themselves with their spears, but it was too late, as the obviously pissed orange skinned prisoner swung both forearms in a wild roundhouse, knocking one of the guards against the wall, leaving a crater in it as he slid to the ground. "Zengtha ru maka! Kek zengtha ror!" She roared as she swung wildly again, this time dispatching two more of the guards. The prisoner then tried an uppercut against the last guard, but the reptilian guard was able to block the attack with his spear, knocking her back.

The guard swung his spear to counterattack, but the red-haired female swung her cuffs again, perpendicular to the spear, breaking the shaft in two. She followed up with a kick to the head of the final guard, knocking him back into a control panel on the wall. As he slid down, red lights and sirens started going berserk, triggered by the breaking of the panel. "Heska vo." The female prisoner whispered viciously as she ran down the now open door.

From the outside of the ship, a section of the lower hull blew apart while the escaped prisoner flew out through the smoke and flame. An instant later, she put a lot of distance between herself and her captors, making a beeline to the blue planet the ship was passing by.

0-0

The sun was slowly setting, leaving the skies to be overtaken by the silence of the night. As a lone hooded figure was walking along the road, the lights of a city in the distance began to light up as the sunlight faded. The figure was sporting a black zip up, currently unzipped, long sleeved jacket that had a brown fluff trim at the ends of the hood and sleeves, with hands in the jacket pockets. The jacket also had two buttons on a flap on the left side of the coat that crossed the collar to clip on the right side. The figure also wore a gray undershirt and blue, thin-fitted, but not skin tight, jeans that were a bit worn at the knees, a brown leather belt around his waist, and black sneakers with a white trim. On the figures' back was a single strap brown backpack, with black trim, that crossed over from the right shoulder to the left side of the waist. The sound of a car approaching from behind could be heard. The hooded figure turned around and stuck a hand out to the side, trying to catch its attention as the figure continued walking backwards. The car passed by without giving the figure a second glance. The pressure of the passing wind was enough to blow back the figures' hood, revealing a male teen with olive colored skin, messy brown hair long enough for his bangs to reach the bridge of his nose, yet parted in a way that his eyes weren't covered. His body type looked to be thin, yet muscular like an athlete, and his iris' were shown to be a deep blue. After the car passed, the teen threw his hand down, turned around, and watched as the car continued driving away. "Thanks." The brunette sighed in a bored tone, putting his hand back in his jacket pocket. He continued walking until he reached a sign on the side of the road. It read-

"Jump City, 5 miles." The brunette read aloud. He leaned to the left to look behind the sign and saw the city on the horizon. "It'll take way too long to walk there." The teen sighed as he looked to the sky; a slight breeze blew across his face, giving him a sense of peace. However, the moment was interrupted when his stomach growled, signifying how hungry he was. He looked down and gave a cheerful grin as he closed his eyes, "Alright, you talked me into it." He said. The brunette removed his hands from his pockets as he crouched to the ground. A purplish-black flame-like energy began radiating from the bottom of his feet. "Let's go!" He shouted as he shot into the air in the direction of Jump City.

0-0

Jump City; a large U-shaped metropolis with both ends connected by a large red bridge. The city reached the shoreline of a bay that fed out into the ocean, with a large single island some odd meters from the shore jutting out of the water. On one of the streets in Jump City, sirens wailed in the distance. A figure, wearing a large coat and a ski mask was running along the sidewalk, with a bulging sack in hand; a burglar running from the police. He quickly ducked into an alley just as a squad of cop cars raced past. The burglar sighed in relief as he smugly eyed the sack, opening it to reveal a good amount of money. He began walking further along the alleyway, but before he got too far, a shadow passed quickly over him, stopping him in his tracks.

"Huh?" The burglar muttered, a bit alarmed at thinking he heard someone. With his free hand, he pulled out a crowbar from his coat and brandished it with uncertainty. The burglar looked up towards the sky, scanning the two buildings to see if something was there. He received his answer when something flashed down from the rooftops at the last moment and struck his hand, sending the crowbar across the ground. The object in question looked to be red with some hint of yellow and in the shape of a crescent but with a handle on the middle for throwing. The item flew back into the shadows. "I don't want trouble, okay?" The burglar stammered as he took a few steps back, looking around in a panic.

A black blur dropped down behind him, at the far end of the alley. The burglar turned to the shadows and found a pair of pinpoint eyes staring at him. A large bat flew toward him, startling the burglar. Throwing his arms up to protect his face, the burglar stood his ground as the bat flew past. Once the nocturnal creature flew away, the burglar lowered his guard and scoffed, believing there was nothing to worry about. That feeling didn't last long as something else sent a whole new scare into him. "You should've thought of that before you committed the crime." A voice said in a serious tone, revealing the shadow to be male.

The burglar quickly turned around and was greeted by a high kick to the chin; knocking him about five yards back. The man steadied himself before running toward the interloper, still hidden in the shadows. The shadow backed up a bit and blocked the wild barrage of punches arching toward his head before delivering a chop to the burglars throat followed by a kick to the chest, knocking the burglar back again. The shadow then bounded up a wall, pushing away at the apex of the run, and vaulting into the air. This move carried the shadow over the criminal's shoulders before grabbing them and then slamming the burglar to the ground in a solid body slam.

However, this was not enough, as the shadow dragged the human punching bag up off the ground and threw him against the wall. Sliding down, half knocked out, the burglar looked up and recognized the shadow as it stepped into the light. The shadow revealed a male teen with spikey black hair, most likely swept back by hair-gel. He wore tight green leggings held up by a yellow belt that had segmented pouches with numerous compartments and a circular black-trimmed belt buckle. He also wore black boots with metal tips on the toes and heels, a red vest with green sleeves and a yellow R over a black circle over the left side of his chest and three yellow clips down his sternum, a black cape with yellow lining around his neck and shoulders, and had green gloves that came up to just before his elbows. His eyes were hidden behind a domino colored mask. The burglar recognized the teen to be Robin, the sidekick of Gotham City's 'Caped Crusader.' "Hey!" The burglar yelled, albeit weakly, "This isn't your town! Aren't you supposed to be with-" he was cut off by a punch to the face, knocking the criminal unconscious.

"Just moved here." The Boy Wonder replied. "And from now on, I work alone." He added as he turned away from the unconscious criminal. The sound of something zooming overhead drew his focus to the skies. He noticed a bright green streak slicing through the night sky above the buildings. The streak traced an arrow-straight path parallel to the alley and disappeared behind the buildings on the far side of the street. The sound of a muffled explosion was heard after it fell out of the spikey-haired teens sight. The ex-sidekick quickly turned around to regard the burglar once more. He pulled out a rope and tied the unconscious criminal securely and hanged him upside down from an overhead fire escape before running to the dead end of the alleyway, shooting a grapple to the top of the building to hoist him up, and followed the green streak.

0-0

"Man, this sucks." A familiar looking brunette said as he left a pizza joint where the layout was like a slice of pepperoni pizza. In his hand he held a cheese and bologna sandwich wrapped in a napkin. "I only had enough for a stupid sandwich." He began walking across the street to a plaza that was on the opposite side of the pizza joint. When he reached his destination, the brunette sat down on a stone bench beneath a light and looked at the sandwich in his hand. He then looked at the sky and saw a full moon shining overhead, "Whatever, I'll find some money tomorrow." He said before he raised the sandwich to his mouth. Before he could take a bite out of his food, a bright, neon green blur crash landed into the pavement in front of him, creating a very large crater. The shockwave caused by the crash was strong enough to blow the brunettes hair back and knock the sandwich out of his hands, causing it to land on the grass behind him. The teen turned around, eyes wide and mouth gaped as he looked at the ruined sandwich, about to cry anime style. The crash resounded throughout the block, causing pedestrians to swarm the plaza. The crater emitted a thick cloud of glowing green smoke, hiding whatever it was that crash-landed a few moments ago.

Several curious onlookers stopped their cars and got out for a better look. As the smoke dissipated, it revealed the orange-skinned prisoner at the center of the rubble, a hostile look on her face and eyes burning neon green. "Slopforn ivortmat!" The female screamed as she walked out of the crater. "Slopforn! Ond gudshik zerrole!" Her vicious attitude was beginning to scare people off. A pedestrian tried holding his camera to take a picture of the girl, but when the flash went off, it startled the alien girl, causing her to recoil and squeeze her eyes shut. A moment later, she reopened them, still blazing neon green, and started swinging her arms every which way with a fresh yell. Most of the onlookers backed up even further than they already had as the girl started pounding the pavement hard enough to put potholes in it; the pedestrians now ducking for cover. The girl then yelled, and in a flash she rendered an unfortunate taxi fit for the junkyard with one blow. In her rage, she continued to destroy a bank of pay phones, a bench, and a streetlight. Several of the pizza joint customers stared from the relative safety of the second-floor balcony as it trembled under their feet. When the assault finally stopped, the red-haired alien stood quietly amid the havoc she had just created in this end of Jump City.

"Hey Slopforn!" A voice yelled out cooly from behind her. She turned around and saw the brunette standing a few yards from her, purplish-black flame like energy radiating from his body. "You owe me a new sandwich!" He said loud enough for her to hear as he held out the sullied sandwich with his right hand. The alien girl yelled something at him, but the teen couldn't understand what it was. "Oh yeah? Well… Blargen fedibble no-hip!" The brunette quipped as he tossed his ruined sandwich to the side. This apparently angered the shackled newcomer as she charged him, raising her shackled arms to bring down in a swinging motion. The brunette quickly jumped out of the way when the alien brought her shackles down at where he was standing, the resulting impact destroying the concrete beneath them. "Ho! So that's how you want to play?" The teen asked with a sadistic grin on his face. Readying his right fist, purplish-black energy engulfed it down to his elbow, "Let's dance!" he shouted as he charged the alien girl. With narrowed eyes, he flew head first at his opponent as he brought his fist to the left side of her face. The resulting impact sent her flying back toward the pizza joint, landing face down on the concrete. "Whoo! What a rush!" The teen exclaimed, "This was self defense!" He called out as he turned in the direction of where the girl landed.

The alien girl lifted her head and faced the pizza joint. She noticed a pillar that was supporting the leading tip of the balcony. She quickly got up, hurled herself at the pillar, and struck it hard enough for it to buckle back and crack; the spectators at the railing could barely stay on their feet due to the resulting vibrations. The orange-skinned alien continued to hit the column, "Zop! Yark! Mesnef!" she yelled with each swing into the column.

"Hey! We're not done yet!" The black jacket-wearing brunette yelled as he ran over to the newcomer. When he got there, the column was finally giving way to the constant abuse it received, causing the balcony to fall. The brunette heard screams coming from the people on the balcony, "Hey whoa, WHOA!" He cried as he quickly punched his fists into the ground. Two pillars of purplish-black energy rose in front of him and caught the balcony, "You're fighting me!" He yelled at the girl through heavy breaths.

The shackled alien girl turned to face the brunette who was starting to lower the balcony slowly so as to not harm the civilians on it. She was breathing heavily since the constant bashing of the apparently indestructible shackles tired her out. As she caught her breath the brunette glared at her with narrowed eyes, still breathing heavily. She could notice more and more purplish-black energy slowly radiating from his body. The girl sensed the teen as a threat and charged him, raising her arms for another swing. "Oh crap." The brunette said flatly as he braced himself for the attack. Before she reached the brunette, an airborne red and yellow object flew in her direction, a birdarang hitting squarely into the side of her crown, knocking her completely off balance. Stopping near the brunette, she glared back toward the source of who threw it with a threatening growl and a pair of eyes that could double as lighthouse beacons with their brightness. Curious as to what happened, the brunette also looked over to see who stopped the rampaging alien captive.

Both of them glanced across the street to see the spiky-haired deadeye that was able to hit the alien standing on the roof of a parked car. His arms were tucked under his cape, which draped around his shoulders. Leaping off the car, Robin threw his cape back and posed himself in a fighting stance. "Who are you?" He questioned in a demanding tone as he took a martial arts stance.

However, instead of receiving an answer, the orange girl came up into a leap that carried her all the way across the street, leading into an asphalt-wrecking downward swing. Robin was able to jump clear in the nick of time and touched down in a backward skid along the asphalt, but numerous roundhouse kicks from the orange alien forced him to keep bobbing and weaving. The spiky-haired teen was able to keep up, until he stepped into a pothole, made earlier by the girl he was fighting. He was about to get hit by the shackles on the red heads arms, but she was shoved to the side at the last second when the black-jacketed brunette bowled into her with his shoulder. Robin quickly regained his balance and looked at the brunette, who was standing over him, purplish-black energy still emitted from his arms and shoulders, "Thanks for the save earlier, but kids shouldn't deal with something so dangerous." He said as the energy dissipated.

A vein popped out of Robins' forehead as he stood up, but even standing up, the brunette was still about a head taller than him. "I'm not a kid." He said; shoving past the brunette and running toward the alien he was fighting.

"Hey, wait!" The brunette called out as he chased the boy.

0-0

Just inside the mouth of an alleyway near where the trio was fighting, a blue-cloaked figure, with its hood up, was watching as the brunette was trying to punch the alien while Robin leapt high over both of them, slinging a handful of grenades. These grenades exploded when it reached the both of them, creating a smokescreen. "Hey, Traffic Light! Watch where you're throwing those!" the brunette shouted, distracting him from the fight. This left him open for the shackled alien to bring up her cuffs in an uppercut fashion, hitting him beneath the chin. The attack sent the brunette upwards and towards the blue-cloaked figure.

He landed at the figures' feet, his vision a bit blurry from the hit. When his sight refocused, he could see the blue-cloaked figures' impassive, ashen-gray face, barely visible in the shadows, looking down at him. "Lucky shot." He said as he sat up and rubbed his chin. When he stood up, he took off his single-strapped backpack and held it in his hand. "You may want to get someplace safe." The brunette said, catching the blue-cloaked figures' attention, "If this goes south, it'll be dangerous here." He turned around to face the blue-cloaked figure, putting his pack over the figures' shoulder, "Also, keep this safe for me. Thanks!" He said with a cheerful grin as he ran off back into the fray before the figure could say anything to him.

0-0

Out on the street, the smoke from Robin's grenades began to dissipate and the luminous green pinpoints of the fighter were the first things he saw. The girl seemed to be completely unharmed. This detail caused Robins' eyes to suddenly bug out in surprise as he gasped softly. The captive then hooked one foot under the chassis of a nearby car and effortlessly kicked it up several feet to which it rotated to point its nose toward the ground. When it was an inch short of splattering the Boy Wonder across the asphalt, the alien booted it towards the black haired teen, who threw himself flat to avoid catching the car with his face. The car sailed in a low, leveled, lightning-fast trajectory down the block and exploded against the building at its end. "Hm. Stronger than she looks." He said as he stood up to see the aftermath.

"What the hell!" he heard a voice call out, "What was in that car? Nitroglycerin?" Robin turned to see the brunette was back and looking at the explosion as well. "Hey watch out!" He warned the Boy Wonder when he turned around.

Robin quickly faced forward and was greeted by the orange alien swinging her shackles and hitting him hard across the jaw. The force of the hit sent him sliding all the way to the trashed pizza joint. The alien jumped in for another hit, even before he could get to his feet. Before she landed, the masked teen quickly dove away and pulled out a metal rod the length of his fist. He clicked it with his thumb and it extended into a much longer bo-staff. This time on the offensive, Robin swung his staff and landed a head shot that propelled his adversary into a car parked roughly fifty yards away. He stepped towards the girl as he brandished the staff again, but it suddenly crumbled in his hands, apparently having been shivered by that crushing hit. "Huh?" he questioned, absolutely befuddled at how his titanium rod could have been destroyed so easily.

The brunette approached him, "What is she? Some sort of indestructible experiment gone berserk?" He asked seeing the remains of the rod.

"I don't know," Robin returned. The sound of the alien girl freeing herself from the wreckage could be heard by the two teens. The girl threw a malicious little smile while working her head around to loosen up her neck, a resounding *_**crack**_* was heard as she did so. "But I think we're about to find out." He said readying himself in a martial artists pose.

"Zota." The alien girl said as she came for another jumping strike.

"Don't worry," The brunette said, as he crouched down, purplish-black energy forming around his feet, "I got this!" He shot up into the direction of the airborne fighter, leaving the masked teen surprised. The teen's opponent predicted this, and completely rolled out of the brunettes' way, flying down towards Robin. "No! Look out!" The brunette called out.

But before she could reduce the Boy Wonder's skull to powder, a green bighorn sheep bound into view and completely rammed the orange fighter broadside at full speed. What was really surprising was not that the bighorn sheep was green, but that the animal transformed into a little green-skinned teen male. His outfit was a black and magenta bodysuit with a gray belt and circular buckle, gray gloves, black boots trimmed with magenta, and a magenta and gray hood and mask with eye holes, leaving his green face exposed beneath his eyes. The greenling also had overly large pointed ears, much like an elf. "Ex-Doom Patrol member Beast Boy, sir! How can I help?" He said with a salute. The greenlings eyes went wide, though, when he noticed whom he just saved, "Wowzers! You're Robin, aren't you, sir?" Letting the salute slip in his excitement, but now reestablishing it.

"Well, you can start by not calling me "_sir_."" Robin answered, '_Great, that's twice that I've been saved in one night. Bruce would be angry._' The masked teen sighed.

The green youth's eyes went wide as saucers and shined with the purest admiration; sparkles hovered around his face, with his hand still glued to his eyebrow in a salute. "Well, let me just say that it's a real honor to be-" the young big eyed boy began.

"Beast Boy, was it?" The object of the young green teens' admiration asked, cutting the changeling short.

"Yes, sir?" He replied, standing straight. Robin pointed off to the side of them, where the orange alien had recovered from the bighorn charge and was getting ready to charge them.

But before she charged them, a familiar brunette brushed past the two of them, flying through the air. "Coming through!" a voice came from the blur as it formed a purplish-back fist around his right arm.

"Whoa," Beast Boy awed as he watched the brunette fly by, "Who's that?"

"I have no idea," Robin answered, '_But something doesn't seem right about him. Especially that… whatever it is surrounding him._' He thought to himself.

The brunette finally connected with the orange captive and knocked her toward a bus. "All right! Now she can pay me back." He whooped as he landed in front of Robin and Beast Boy.

The alien quickly regained her bearings and began picking up the bus she crashed into. When she lifted it over her head, the orange fighter quickly hurled the large automobile toward the brunette, masked teen, and green boy. The brunette stuck his right arm out, but it pained him too much to do whatever he wanted to do, "Ow. Damn, that last punch hurt!" He bent his arm back and grabbed his wrist, "Get out of the way!" He called out as he dove to the left, the bus barely missing him.

The other two boys quickly bolted in opposite directions as the bus flew by. However, they failed to recognize a broad figure in a gray hooded sweatshirt and black pants. Even through the baggy clothing, one could tell that this figure was extremely tall and extremely muscular. The bus bounced in his direction; but instead of being flattened by the flying metal death box, the gray hooded figure extended his arms and caught it. Digging its black combat boots into the ground to brace the impact, the figure slowly brought the vehicle to a stop and lifted it by the bumper. The figure then heaved the bus off to one side, making a plume of dust that cleared to reveal that the gray hooded figure was also wearing dark gray gloves and pants. The hood over his head covered the top half of the figures' face, but a glowing red eye was still apparent, and the lower half of the face showed the figure to be an African-American. "Yo!" The voice shouted, sounding like a male African-American teen, "Who's here messing up my neighborhood?" He called out, a bit of anger in his voice.

Beast Boy quickly slid up next to the gray hooded male, "She started it!" He said, pointing to the cuffed alien girl in the distance. Robin and the brunette quickly made their way back to the other two teens. The hooded male turned and saw the alien standing amid the new stretch of debris and walking up after a moment's pause. The old resolve returning to her stems and face as she approached the quad of boys. She brought both arms up and delivered a thundering blow to the pavement; all four boys nearly dumped flat by the tremor caused by the crash, with every car and broken piece of debris bouncing off the ground. Regaining their balance, the four boys looked up at the orange girl, realizing the hand ends of her restraints fell off, dented and smoking.

The forearms of her cuffs were still firmly locked on, but with her hands free, the alien girl gave a malicious smirk and pointed her hands straight ahead. Her hands began to glow with energy the same color as her eyes. The four boys stared in surprise, "Hr-RAAAAAAA!" the alien captive shouted as she unleashed a mini-gun barrage of green energy blasts from her hands, causing a very thick smoke cloud to hide each of them from view. After a long, tense moment, the four of them charged out of the haze toward her, alarming the girl to start firing energy balls all around the block.

One by one, the boys raced through the hail of green blasts, Beast Boy nearly getting his foot shot off in the process. The energy blasts ripped into the surrounding buildings, parked cars, a neon billboard, and everything within at least a half-mile radius. The final salvo filled the area, causing more smoke and flames to rise. This left the orange fighter breathing heavily as she tried to catch her breath. She was caught by surprise by a quick punch to her left side, below the ribs, by the black-jacketed brunette. The alien coughed in agony as a follow-up roundhouse kick to the face sent the girl flying back. '_This doesn't seem right.'_ The brown-haired teen thought as he brought his leg down, '_She's not focused on the fight at all._' He glanced back in the direction he sent the alien girl, and noticed she tried to stand, but then fell to her knees, still struggling to break the cuffs on her forearms. '_So then it must be…_'

0-0

Beast Boy and the hooded figure were hiding behind the smashed bus, Robin quickly vaulted behind it to join them. "Girl's gonna wreck the whole city." The figure said looking over the bus just as the brunette connected his attack with said girl.

"I won't let her." Robin said, punching his right fist into his left palm, "I won't lose this fight." Beast Boy and the hooded figure nodded in agreement. The three of them ran out from behind the bus toward the brunette and the orange girl, but the three of them barely got ten yards down the street before a black energy barrier sprung up to stop them. The trio turned to see what caused it: a gargantuan, screeching bird-shape, black energy raven that wisped away quickly and resolved into the form of the blue-cloaked figure with the hood up, still wearing the brown backpack on her back.

"Maybe fighting isn't the answer." The voice from the blue-cloaked figure revealed it to be a female. The three of them looked at her and thought about what she said. The cloaked girl glanced off to one side and dispelled the apparition that was blocking them. They now had a clear view of the kneeling orange girl with the brown-haired teen crouched next to her.

Robin looked at them, but noticed the gray-hooded figure start walking forward. The domino mask wearing teen grabbed his arm to stop him. "Stand down." He said to the much larger figure.

"What do you think, you the boss or something?" The larger figure asked as he shook off Robins grip and turned to face him.

"Just give me a chance." He said walking past the large hooded figure. He continued walking forward toward the two other fighters, passing by a lot of debris and destruction caused by their fight. The brunette noticed him coming and walked to meet the shorter teen.

"You got a lock-pick or something?" The taller brown-haired teen asked.

"Why?" The shorter black-haired teen returned.

"This was never a fight for her." He said pointing to the cuffs on the girls' forearms, "She was just trying to free herself from those."

Robin looked over to her to see she was still trying to break the cuffs. "Alright, just leave it to me." He said walking toward the girl again.

"Be careful, kid." The brunette said, lacing his hands behind his head.

'_I'm not a kid._' The Boy Wonder thought to himself angrily as he approached. Once he got within a few feet, the orange fighter hauled herself to her feel and moved toward him with fists charged with green energy, causing the spiky haired teen to jump back a few feet.

"Gokta!" the female screamed, ready to shoot more energy blasts from her hands.

Robin tried calming her down, "Easy. My name is Robin, and I don't want to hurt you." He said, easing one hand to a pouch on his belt. "I just want to help."

"I got your back if she tries anything." The brunette said from behind. Robin glanced back to see a cheerful grin on his face.

Robin faced forward again and saw the extraterrestrial fighting machine holding him at point-blank range, "Gokta!" She called as she leaned into him, "Gokta buhovna!"

"Careful." The brunette warned. He was about to walk toward the two, but a hand up from Robin, signaling him to stay, stopped him from getting closer.

With the aliens' fists right in his face, the steely vigilante did not even blink as he held up his fist, the girl still on her guard, "It's ok. Look." He said as he opened his fist to reveal a lock-pick.

After looking at the foreign object, the orange girl cooled off, the green light in her eyes and on her hands disappearing, revealing her emerald colored eyes. Robin confidently smiled as he gently pushed the visitors arms down and put the lock-pick to work.

"Now that I think about it, maybe a lock-pick won't work on alien hand-" the brunette started, but was cut off by a ***clank*** ***thud*** noise as the shackles on the alien girl come apart and fell to the ground, leaving the brunette surprised, "cuffs."

Robin glanced back and gave the brunette a smirk. He turned back around to see the girl he just freed massage her wrists wonderingly. "There. Now maybe we can be-" Was all he was able to say before the freed alien girl dragged the Boy Wonder to herself with one hand and kissed him long and full on the lips, causing him to drop the pick.

The brunettes' mouth gaped before he collected himself, "Free a girl of her cuffs and she rewards you with a kiss." The brunette sighed as he shook his head.

Her eyes stayed closed throughout the embrace as she let Robin go. When she opened them again, they resumed their green glow. The next two things that followed surprised Robin and the brunette even more than the kiss; one, the alien girl shoved Robin in the chest hard enough to send him back against the brunette, the latter catching the Boy Wonder with no problems. Two, she started speaking English. "If you wish not to be destroyed, you will leave me alone!" She warned.

"You could speak English this whole time?!" The brunette asked a bit annoyed at her, still holding up Robin. But instead of receiving an answer, the alien girl took off, gaining altitude to disappear into the night sky. "Hey!" The brunette called out, tossing Robin to the side, "You still owe me for my sandwich!"

Robin, Beast Boy, the blue-cloaked teen, and the gray hooded figure, all puzzled at what just transpired, gathered behind him. After a long silence, the green changeling finally spoke up, "So… I'm Beast Boy," He said to the gray hooded figure, "Who're you?"

0-0

A few minutes after the alien girls' departure, massive destruction done to the city for… miles, the group of five finally broke out of their stupor, the gray sweat suit wearing teen being the first to speak. The others still looking in the direction the alien flew off.

"So, girl just leaves after making this kind of impression?" The African teen stated, looking around at the mass destruction surrounding the five teens.

"Heh, I'd say _we_ made a good impression," Beast Boy chuckled with a toothy grin, "Crazy space girl's gone. City is saved. Mission accomplished. Right, sir?" He asked, turning towards Robin.

"Seriously, stop calling me that." He said flatly as he turned to face the green teen.

"Roger!" Beast Boy said, saluting the spiky haired teen.

Robin sighed at the green teens' action. "Well, it looks like we're done here." He said as he began walking in the direction where the alien girl flew off.

"Where do you think you're going?" The brunette finally spoke.

"I'm going to see if she's a threat or not." Robin answered, brushing past the brunette.

"Maybe she'll give you another kiss." The brunette scoffed jokingly.

The comment caused a shade of red to brush across Robins' cheeks, "T-that doesn't matter." He stammered, "I'm going." He said as he walked down the street.

"Hey sir, I mean Robin!" Beast Boy called out to the Boy Wonder, "Do you maybe…" Robin was out of earshot by the time Beast Boy said this, "need a sidekick…" Beast Boy finished dejectedly, scratching the back of his head.

The brunette walked over to the blue-cloaked girl and put a hand on her shoulder. "Thanks for watching this for me." He said, giving her a friendly smile, as he lifted his backpack off her.

"Oh… yeah…" she replied a bit shyly, "No problem…"

The brunette put the backpack over his shoulder and started walking away, "And what are you going to do?" The larger hooded teen called out to the brunette.

"That girl owes me for my food." He replied putting his hood back up, "And I always collect my debts." Before the others could say anything else, the brunette shot up into the air and flew in the direction of the alien girl; Beast Boy and the hooded figure were left in awe at seeing him fly away.

'_He seems to carry a heavy burden_.' The blue-cloaked girl thought as she watched the brunette fly away. She glanced over to the other two teens that were still gawking at the sight of the brunette flying away.

Beast Boy was the first to break out of his trance, "So… do you guys wanna get a pizza?" He asked nervously, rubbing the back of his head.

"I shouldn't…" the cloaked girl said as she walked away, leaving the green teen and the large African teen.

"Just you and me then, huh?" He said turning to the gray sweatshirt wearing teen that began walking away, "Cool! I-I haven't had anyone to hang out with since I quit the Doom Patrol," he said as he followed the African-American teen. "This is gonna be fun, you wanna play video ga-" The green changeling was cut off as he slammed into the larger teens back when he stopped walking.

The hooded teen turned to face the much shorter green boy. "There! Take a good, long look!" He said pulling away his hood, revealing the left side of his face down to his jaw to be covered in gray metal, the top side of the left side of his head, the side of his right, and the left side of his neck all featured dark and light blue mechanical parts. "I had an accident, and now I'm a monster, all right? A _cyborg_." He said.

Beast Boys' eyes quickly lit up at the sight of the larger teen, "Cyborg? OOooooh! You're like Robot Man 2.0!" The greenling said happily, looking the teen over from multiple angles.

The cyborg sighed as he put his hood back on, "You're a weird little dude, you know that?" He stated flatly.

"Hehe, you called me _dude_," Beast Boy returned with a smile. "Okay so, see you later. Right, _dude_?" he asked in a happy tone as the cyborg began walking away again. A few seconds later, however, a massive silhouette moved through the sky, causing Beast Boy to call, "DUUUDE!" loudly to the cyborg as a red spaceship flew into view.

0-0

Flying through the air, the brunette was scanning the city for the alien girl that flew away. '_Where is she?'_ He thought as he continued flying over parts of Jump City. He continued scanning until a giant, red unidentified flying object flew over him, catching his attention, "Just great." The brunette said sarcastically.

0-0

Shortly after arriving in Jump City, the large, red alien ship released a large orange-armored torch the size of the Statue of Liberty's that landed on an island in the center of Jump City Bay.

"Looks like space girl has friends," The gray-hooded cyborg stated at the sight of the large alien ship; the masked changeling standing next to him.

"Or enemies." The two turned to see Robin walk up next to them.

As soon as Robin finished talking, blue streams of lightning shot out of the top of the torch, projecting a large bluish-green, fish-like, reptilian alien. "_**People of Earth,**_"the hologram began saying,** "**_**We come to your planet hunting an escaped prisoner. A very dangerous prisoner. Do not interfere and we will leave your city with only minimal damage**_**_._**" As the projection continued talking, the blue-clad girl walked to join the trio of boys listening to the message. "_**But attempt to assist her; your destruction will be absolute**_**_._**" And with that foreboding warning, the torch cut off the hologram projection. The sound of metal doors opening filled the air and seemed to be coming from the torch itself.

After the announcement ended, the brunette floated down to join the other teens, lowering his hood when he landed. "That's a big ship." The covered cyborg stated.

When the torch doors opened, it revealed to have more red-eyed, reptilian aliens inside. "And those are some scary looking aliens." Beast Boy remarked as said aliens flew out of the torch.

"They told us not to interfere." The blue-cloaked girl said flatly. The swarm of invaders was quickly approaching the city.

"Let me guess," The brunette started as he turned towards the Boy Wonder, "You're still gonna fight them, aren't you?"

Robin nodded in response to the question as he turned to face the rest of the teens.

"Can we come too?" Beast Boy asked in an excited tone.

"I suppose I could team up," Robin said with a determined smile on his face, "Just this once." The other four teens smiled in response to Robin's answer.

The Boy Wonder began walking back through the ruined block of the city with Beast Boy, the brunette, and the gray-hooded cyborg in tow. The blue-clad girl stood back and watched them leave. She then looked down with a sad look on her face. "You in?" A voice asked her, grabbing her attention.

She looked up to see the other boys had turned to face her, "I-I'm not the hero type." She responded, "Trust me, if you knew what I really am, you wouldn't want me around." She finished as she turned her back to the group.

A gloved hand reached out and touched her shoulder, causing her to turn around and face the black-haired teen, "I know enough." He said reassuringly. The other teens giving her a welcoming smile behind him.

0-0

As the search for the escaped prisoner continued, the reptilian aliens did not seem to be making much progress. The foreign invaders seemed to be more interested in causing more damage to the city than actually finding the girl; between the destruction of multiple vehicles, and blowing up anything they happened to come across on the streets with their trident like spears, the aliens' idea of "minimal damage" seemed to be going pretty well. After the aliens finished destroying… er, searching the current area and flying off to the next section of the city, the group of five teens slid out of a nearby alleyway.

"All right." Robin said just loud enough for the group to hear, so as to remain undetected, "We need some way to track her."

"She's near." The cloaked girl interjected. The other four boys looked at her in confusion as a large sweat drop slid down the back of her head. "I can sense things." She muttered with a sad look on her face.

"That's useful." The messy-haired teen smiled as he scratched his cheek.

"I'll see if I can pick up her scent." The greenling stated before he took the form of a green bloodhound.

The other teens watched as the dog began sniffing around the immediate area. "There's a sonic analyzer built into my arm." The gray-clad cyborg said as he pulled back his right sleeve, revealing his forearm to be metallic in the same fashion as the half of his head. "If she's around, I'll hear it." He pressed a button on his arm that caused the top panel to open slightly.

"Good." Robin responded.

Beast Boy transformed back into a human, "I got her trail!" He exclaimed as he quickly became a bloodhound again and ran off in a direction.

"And I can hear her heartbeat." The cyborg said glancing at the small screen on his arm, which began glowing red and showing sound waves of a heartbeat. The other three teens nodded before running off in the direction Beast Boy went.

0-0

At a local video store, a freshly made hole was burned into the side of the building. Inside, a familiar looking redhead stood in front of a shelf full of candied sweets, popcorn, and other types of junk food. Licking her lips, she quickly grabbed a bucket of popcorn and a candy bar and began chowing down, not even bothering to remove the wrappers.

The group of super teens approached her from behind as she continued scarfing down every available food on the shelf, leaving the area around her with empty buckets and whatever wrappers she didn't eat. "Uh…" Beast Boy began in disbelief that the alien could wolf down so much food in no time flat, "Those taste better without the wrapper."

Now being aware of the others presence, the alien lowered a bucket of popcorn and wiped her mouth on her sleeve. She then turned to face the group and created two large balls of green energy in her hands, ready to attack. "HRAAA!" She growled as her eyes lit up in the same neon green color as the balls in her hands.

The other teens backed up a bit, not wanting to get blasted by the still enraged alien. "It's all right." Robin said as he put his hands up to try and calm the orange-skinned teen, "We're friends, remember?"

"Friends? Why?" The girl asked as she took a few steps toward the group of five, "For what purpose did you free me?"

"Just… trying to be nice." Robin responded nervously as the group continued backing away from the alien.

"Nice." The alien girl repeated, the word seeming foreign to her, "We do not have this word on my planet. Closest is 'rutha,' _weak_." She stated as she narrowed her eyes.

Snapping out of the fear that was instilled in him, the cyborg spoke up, "Well around here, nice means _nice_." He said in a slightly angered tone, "And if you want us to keep being nice you better tell us why the Lizard King took you prisoner."

Surprised at the statement, the alien girl dispelled the glow in her eyes, showing her emerald colored irises. "I am not prisoner… I am prize." She said in a sad tone as she looked down. "The Gordanians deliver me to the Citadel to live out my days as their servant." The other teens looked at her with surprise as she explained her situation.

"And the Citadel are…" The cloaked girl trailed off, trying to find an answer.

"Not. Nice." The orange alien finished as she looked back up to face the group of five.

"Then you're not going with them." Robin said as he approached the auburn haired girl, pointing his thumb at himself, "Not if I have anything to say about it."

"You're not thinking of leaving us out of this, are you?" The brunette asked as he walked next to the black haired teen.

Just then, a huge explosion from the sidewall caught the group off guard. The result left the six of them on the ground. When they looked up to see what it was that caused the hole in the wall, a group of space lizards could be seen looking in.

"Seize her!" One of the aliens yelled as it pointed to the orange-skinned teen. On command, the rest of the group of aliens took flight and began flying towards their target.

The six gathered teens stood up and rushed the oncoming attackers. The cyborg struck one alien with a double axe handle to the back. Beast Boy charged a group of aliens as a rhino, knocking them in different directions. The orange alien, with eyes lit up in their green glow, plowed through a dozen aliens with the power that could equate to a megaton punch. Robin took on his number of aliens with his bo-staff, knocking them all back with a few good swings. The brunette engulfed his arms and legs with his purplish-black energy and charged through his group of aliens, taking them out with a barrage of punches and kicks. The blue-cloaked girl easily dealt with a number of the aliens by forming black magic around her hands that sent her opponents flying.

An explosion from inside the store caused another large hold to form, with smoke hiding whatever caused it. The alien girl then flew backwards through the cloud and began shooting energy bolts at three oncoming attackers. She was able to hit two, but the third got within punching distance. Trying to knock the alien down, the redhead threw some punches, but proved to be ineffective when the lizard alien swerved out of the way and swung to hit the girl down, causing her to crash into the ground. The orange teen looked up to see the reptile standing over her, pointing its spear at her, ready to blast her with a blue bolt of lightening.

Robin, grappling with one alien, turned to see the alien girl in trouble. He quickly grabbed the alien by his shoulders, and flung him around to crash into the reptile standing over the redhead, sending both of them flying away. The orange alien looked to Robin and gave him a smile as thanks for saving her.

Robin quickly turned to fight more oncoming aliens; the red haired alien girl flew in his direction to help him out.

Fighting his own alien, the African teen was tripped up by the reptiles' tail, causing him to fall flat on his back. Before getting shot by a bolt from his opponents spear, he flipped out of the way, but was greeted by more blue bolts when he landed, causing a smokescreen to form around him. When the smoke cleared, his full form was revealed. His body, except for his biceps and the majority of his face, was robotic, showing blue semi-transparent components on his thighs, forearms, and shoulders, while the rest of his body was white and gray with black armor underneath and gray trim that separated parts of his body.

Collecting his bearings, the cyborg leapt at the alien that attacked him and punched the aliens' spear in two. Following that, the African teen grabbed the alien and threw him at a group of flying baddies.

Some more reptiles appeared and continued firing at him, seemingly too much for the cyborg to handle. What surprised the cyborg more was when the talons of a green pterodactyl grabbed his shoulders and lifted him off the ground. As more aliens took aim at the duo, their concentration was broken when the black-jacketed teen flew through their group, knocking most of them to the ground with overhead punches. Before more could swarm the brunette, a lamppost covered in black colored magic swung and knocked the aliens away. Some aliens flew away immediately as the ones on the ground looked at the teens before following their companions' example.

After the fighting was done, the alien redhead turned to face the rest of the group, "I believe your expression is… thanks." She said a bit roughly, but thankful all the same.

"Aw man, my suit." The now exposed cyborg groaned as he removed what was left of his sweats from his body.

"So? You look way cooler without it!" The green changeling said with a toothy smile while giving the cyborg a 'thumbs up.'

"Yeah," the taller African teen began as he loomed over Beast Boy, "Like I'm taking fashion advice from a kid in a-"

"Uh guys," The brunette interjected, causing the rest of the teens to look over to him, "It doesn't look like this is over." He finished as he pointed in the direction of the large orange torch.

The group turned to look and see the giant projection of the alien who gave the warning before in the night sky, "_**Fools! The Earth scum were warned.**_" The projection shouted bitterly, "_**Your insolence will be punished. Your city shall be destroyed.**_"

After the projection disappeared from the sky, the large, red alien ship pointed its' large cannon at the city it now deemed unworthy of staying on the map.

"Great…" The blue-clad mage said flatly as the group looked up at the ship.

0-0

"So, after trashing a pizza place and a perfectly good video store, we've managed to make a humongous space gecko mad enough to vaporize our entire town?" Beast Boy asked in a matter of fact tone.

"Go team." The cyborg said sourly as he twirled his right index finger in the air.

In front of the group of four, Robin and the extraterrestrial were arguing. "All the fault is yours!" She yelled, a sight gag showing her head growing as she yelled at the Boy Wonder. "I _commanded_ you leave me alone, but you _insisted_ upon the being _nice_!" She finished as her head shrank back to normal size.

"My fault?" Robin asked angrily as his head grew. Shrinking back to normal size, the masked teen continued yelling at the alien girl, "You blast me, you kiss me-" he leaned in towards the girl, sparks flying between their eyes, "-but you never stop to mention that they have a gigantic particle weapon?"

The brunette walked over to the three teens who weren't arguing as a shouting match between the previous pair was heard.

"We're doomed!" The green changeling cried. He turned towards the cyborg, "I can't believe I let you talk me into this!" He pointed in an accusing manner towards the larger African teen.

"Say what?!" The cyborg yelled angrily at Beast Boy, "I was ready to walk before you-" The two of them continued their shouting match.

The noise rose as the two groups continued arguing amongst themselves. The brunette and cloaked girl began getting annoyed. The brunette pinched the bridge of his nose and the girl shut her eyes tightly as she tried to concentrate. Unfortunately, the shouting got too loud for her, for she was about to say something. "SHUT UP!" The blue clad girl heard a yell come from the brunette, the yell echoing in the silent street, promptly shutting everyone else up quickly.

Four pairs of eyes turned to face the brunette, who was standing next to the blue-cloaked girl. The sets of eyes made the girl nervous, "Hi." She waved timidly.

"Arguing about this is only going to get us all killed." The brunette said pointing upwards to the ship with its' weapons primed, "In case you all forgot, that could obliterate the entire city if it wanted to. And I don't plan on dying anytime soon."

The other teens looked up at the ship again, Robin looked back at the alien girl, "He's right." He began, "It doesn't matter how we got into this mess. We're in it, and we'll get out of it." He turned to face the other four teens, "Together."

"No, I cannot agree." The alien girl said, causing all the other teenagers to face her, "This fight is not yours."

"You _made_ it ours when you landed in this city." The brunette returned as he approached the alien girl, stopping when he was standing next to Robin, "So I think we should listen to little sparrow here." He added with a smirk as he rustled the shorter teens' hair.

Robin quickly swatted the brunettes' hand from his head and stepped towards the red-haired alien, "Trust us, together we can do it." The orange-skinned girl looked at Robin. After thinking what he said over for a brief moment, she nodded in agreement. Robin smiled as he turned to the brunette, who gave him a "thumbs up" gesture and a cheerful grin. The gray-skinned girl and African teen nodded in agreement as well while Beast Boy gave a mischievous smile to show he agreed as well.

"Right then, let's get going." Robin finished as he led the group down the street.

0-0

Inside the hovering ship, many of the reptilian, fish aliens were rushing across a catwalk that led to the bridge of the ship. After the aliens cleared out of the room, a large black bubble of energy fazed through the walls and dissipated, exposing the six teens within.

The group of six began moving through the room, "Ugh," Beast Boy groaned as he rubbed his stomach, "That dark energy stuff gives me the-" The brunette, with his hood back up, put a hand over Beast Boys mouth to keep him from finishing his sentence. The cloaked girl edged a bit closer to the two, giving them a slightly annoyed glare. "Uh…" Beast Boy began as the brunette removed his hand, "…I mean, it's cool." He corrected, giving a broad smile and a thumbs-up, sweat popping off his head with a forced chuckle.

The six teens quickly made their way down the catwalk where they entered into another corridor. Down the hall, they noticed a few reptilian aliens hustle through, turning right when they reached the end. Robin poked his head around the corner to see if enemies were there. When he saw that there was only an unguarded metal door, he turned back and faced the other teens. "We have to get to the firing controls." He said softly. Given the heroes' track record and whom he worked with previously, it was safe to assume he was correct, "There isn't much time." He stepped around the corner and headed towards the door.

The orange-skinned alien was the first to follow after him, then the green changeling, and then the cyborg. The blue-cloaked girl emerged after they were a ways down the hallway. Instead of approaching them, she tried tiptoeing as quietly as she could, so as to not get noticed. However, that failed as the changeling threw a look back at her over his shoulder while he followed the cyborg towards the end of the corridor. The girl stopped moving, closed her eyes, and dropped her head in a dejected manner.

"Why're you back here by yourself?" The cloaked figure heard a voice come from behind her. She turned back and saw a familiar looking brunette emerge from the shadows from the previous room, the brunette lowering his hood as he approached the girl.

"You heard the kid." The cloaked teen responded flatly, "I don't exactly fit in." She finished, lowering her head again.

The brunette placed a hand on her shoulder, causing the girl to look up at him, "Don't say that," he said turning the girl to face in the direction of the others. "He's green," He said pointing to Beast Boy, "Half of him is made of metal," the brunette said pointing to the cyborg, "She's from space," he pointed to the orange alien, "and I believe hair-gel flows through his veins." He finished as he pointed towards Robin. The brunette took his hand off her shoulder and faced her again, "So c'mon," he held his hand out for her to take, "You fit in just fine."

This seemed to ease the girls' mind as a slight smile appeared on her face. She nodded, took his hand, and was led by the brunette as they approached the rest of the group.

At the front, Robin was scouting ahead. As they continued passing through the ship without being noticed, the alien girl stepped up to him, garnering his attention. "I bring you… a_pol_ogy." She said solemnly.

Robin turned to face her, "Don't worry about it." He replied, "I'm sorry I yelled, too."

This caused the orange-skinned alien to smile. "And again, you are… nice. On my world, only my K'Norfka has shown me such kindness."

"Well, things are different here," Robin replied with a smile, causing the girl to blush a bit. The two of them looked at each other, sharing a rather intimate moment before Beast Boy startled them out of their reverie.

"Uh, guys?" He said pointing past Robin and the redhead, "I think they know we're here." He said as he pointed in front of them.

The group faced forward to notice a squad of charging troops. At the back, the brunette and the blue-cloaked girl turned to see another group running from the rear, "Looks like we got ourselves a fight!" The brunette said with a malicious smile as black flame-like energy emitted from his body.

0-0

With the weapons of the ship warming up and the power levels of the gun topping out, one of two crewmen manning the helm on the bridge turned in his seat to address a larger, menacing looking throne with the back facing the henchman. "Lord Trogaar!" He called out, "The weapon has reached full power."

The chair swiveled around, revealing the leader of the reptilian aliens. He didn't look that much different, except for looking a bit larger than the others and the armor the alien wore was a bit more profound with spikes on the shoulders, while he wielded a large trident like spear. "Then begin the firing sequence." The helmsmen obeyed and began typing incessantly on the controls. A timer in, I guess, the reptilian language began counting down on the overhead display screen. "The Earth scum shall learn…" Trogaar said as he stood up, "…it takes more than six juvenile _heroes_ to defy the mighty Lord Trogaar!" He finished as he placed his clawed hand on his hip, looking down the windows in front.

Down the ship's bow, the weapons' barrel began charging, ready to fire on the city. Inside the cockpit, Trogaar smiled grimly at the destruction about to be unleashed. Before the cannon could go off, a large explosion occurred behind him, causing the door directly behind his throne to be blown inward with terrific force and fill the area with smoke. A moment later, the six teens walked out of the dust cloud and into the room, leaving a trail of defeated alien warriors behind them, all throughout the ship.

"We're not six heroes." Robin stated, "We're one team." Trogaar turned around to see Robin standing in front, with Beast Boy, the cyborg, and the black-jacketed teen standing at his sides, while the alien girl and blue-cloaked girl floated above them.

Trogaar ditched his triumphant smile and replaced it with an enraged growl as every deckhand started charging the group of six. Robin led the charge for his side and flew into a kung-fu kick, decking an alien across the face. The cyborg slammed both his fists onto the floor, throwing out a sheet of energy to blast two more aliens off the ground. Beast Boy had transformed into a kangaroo and delivered kicks to two opponents in the gut, full force, sending them flying back. Across from the shape shifters skirmish, the alien redhead delivered a supercharged uppercut that sent her enemy crashing into the deck.

The black-jacketed teen, forming purplish-black energy around his arms and legs, started charging a group of three aliens. When he reached the trio, he punched one in the face with a powered fist, sending the alien back. The other two were caught off guard at this and couldn't respond quickly enough as he swept this leg under theirs, knocking their feet from under them. The brunette then lifted one alien up by the nape of his neck and belt, spun around, and threw him to where the alien he punched moments earlier landed. The third alien tried getting up, but the brunette stomped on the unfortunate reptiles' head with enough force to cause a small crater in the ground, knocking the reptile out.

Beast Boy was back in human form dodging attacks from another alien. Turning back into a marsupial, he kicked another alien away, lashed another with his heavy tail, and then transformed back to his human form. When he turned back, however, Trogaar leapt in close, smashing both arms against the deck, almost striking the changeling, "WHAAA!" He yelled as he was sent flying back before smashing into a wall. He slid down and ended up as a heap on the floor.

Lord Trogaar followed up with a charge towards the knocked out greenling, ready to beat him to a pulp. However, the blue-cloaked girl popped up from the floor via her black energy magic and threw up a shield, blocking the reptilian lords progress. One punch after another thumped into the black shield as the pale-skinned girl backed up slowly towards the wall. Buckling her knees and falling to the floor, the shield finally gave out. Trogaar prepared to flatten them both as he lifted his fists to slam down, however his attempt was foiled as he was punched in the side with enough force to send him recoiling. Turning to see the assailant, he was greeted with a knee to the face that caused him to stumble backwards and kneel, passing an underling who was in a battle of strength with the cyborg of the group.

Trogaar looked up to see the brunette kneeling next to the blue-cloaked girl, helping her up, and throwing the unconscious Beast Boy over his shoulder. "Annoying little _pest_!" He growled as he stood up to charge the trio.

However, the reptilian lord was stopped again as a familiar looking traffic light leapt over the brunette and delivered a crushing left jab that lifted Trogaar off his feet. Even before the latter could hit the floor, he was bashed in a different direction by a steel-soled spin kick. After the alien lord hit the ground and collected his bearings, Robin tried to follow up with more attacks, but was caught at his midsection by the massive hands owned by the alien. He hurled the black-haired teen across the bridge, into the far wall behind the captain's chair.

"Robin!" The alien girl cried at the sight of the Boy Wonder getting thrown into the wall. Enraged, she quickly took off through the air and unleashed a string of neon green energy shots towards Trogaar that tore into the deck on their way to him. The shots resulted in a smokescreen that shrouded the alien lord. A moment later, the lord jumped out of the smoke towards the girl, fully intact and angrier than ever, barring her to the floor when he reached his target. His giant hand lifted her high and slammed her down into the ground again. The girl struggled to break his hold for a moment, but couldn't get free. It wasn't until the redhead squeezed off a body-blow starbolt that the larger reptilian lord dropped her.

As he backed up cautiously from the one-time prisoner, who turned out to be far more trouble than she was worth, the cyborg rushed across the bridge from a pile of unconscious aliens. The bionic landing a right haymaker to the boss aliens jaw, sending the Gordanian back. The blue and white cyborg landed in front of the redhead before they tried charging the boss together. Trogaar took a merciless fury of high-octane punches to all his sore spots from his two attackers, but even that was not enough to put him out of business. He counter-attacked with a one-two-three combination that sent both aspiring pugilists across the bridge toward the still-prone Robin.

When the cyborg hit the ground next to Robin, some panels on his right arm shifted around, opening to reveal the circuitry inside. Robin noticed this, "Can you rewire that into some sort of weapon?" He asked the cyborg as he pointed to the opening in his right arm.

The three fighters stood up as the larger African teen glanced down at his right arm, "I can try." He replied as he lifted his left hand to his other arm.

Before any of them could react, Trogaar and the still-conscious aliens moved closer to surround them. Savagely grinning, Trogaar turned to his right and saw the brunette carefully placing the still-unconscious Beast Boy against a speaker to support him in an upright position. He took one of his minions' trident-spears and readied it for a throw, but stopped when he heard a soft-spoken voice.

"Get away from my friends!" the blue-cloaked girl yelled menacingly as she got between the lord and the two teens he was aiming at, black energy forming around her as her eyes glowed within the cowl of her hood. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" She chanted, unleashing her powers.

0-0

Had someone been watching the ship from the city, said person would have seen the bridge of the ship explode, causing most of the front half of the ship to disappear. The explosion caused the ship to fly out of control and plummet toward Jump City Bay, causing massive waves to splash. After the water calmed down, only the demolished bridge of the ship was still above water, slowly sinking into the depths. Inside the now-exposed deck, Robin, the cyborg, and the alien girl straightened up after regaining their balance from the crash. They glanced over across the bridge and saw Trogaar stand up.

The enraged reptilian lord turned to face Beast Boy, who was still unconscious, the brunette, and the blue-cloaked girl, and casted his broad shadow over them as he made his approach. The brunette tried to stand up to face Trogaar as he extended his claws on one hand to full length, ready to disembowel the trio, but stumbled back down, clenching his knee. It appeared that the crash resulted in injuring it. Just as the trio braced themselves for the attack from the alien, a brilliant blue and white ringed beam of light flashed from behind, connecting with the alien lord squarely in the back. The resulting attack sent the alien falling like a ton of bricks, exposing the other three teens behind him.

The cyborg's right arm was raised, pointing straight ahead, his hand replaced by the muzzle of a cannon-like gun. The brunette and the blue-cloaked girl glanced at the unconscious alien before looking over to the cyborg. "All right, I'm only going to say this once," He said as his arm powered down and turned back into a hand, "Boo-yah." He smirked cooly.

0-0

Standing on the coast of the small island that rose out of the water in the middle of Jump City Bay, Beast Boy, the cyborg, the gray-skinned girl, and the black-jacketed brunette, with his brown backpack leaning against his leg, stared out into the bay as the sun began rising out of the ocean. The Gordanians took any working shuttles off the planet after their warship was destroyed to escape the teens, having left the alien torch… projector still jutting up from the island.

"That's quite a view," The blue-cloaked girl said as she lowered her hood, revealing a female teen with ashen gray skin, violet shoulder length hair and matching colored eyes, and a red chakra in the middle of her forehead, and pulled the cloak over her shoulders, revealing a black leotard, black armlets, blue wristbands, blue ankle cuffed boots, and a pair of broaches on the backs of her gloves, while her belt was made of the same type of broaches.

"Somebody oughta build a house out here." The cyborg said, crossing his arms.

"Claim it fast," The brunette smirked, "It's a buyer's market." He crouched down, put his pack around his back, and rested his arms on his knees.

"Yeah," Beast Boy said with a smile, "If you like sunshine and the beach." He slid over to the violet-haired girl, nudging her side with his elbow.

This caused the gray-skinned girl to laugh softly, "You know, you're kind of funny." She said with a small grin.

Famous. Last. Words.

At this comment, stars appeared in Beast Boys eyes and his ears perked up, "You think I'm funny?" He started laughing as a sight gag showed him getting a swelled head, "Dude! I know some jokes!"

Those last four words were enough to unnerve the violet-haired girl considerably, causing a sweat drop to slide down her temple and her left eyebrow twitching a bit.

As the greenling tried sharing more jokes, the brunette stepped up behind him and put a hand on the shorter teens head, "She said '_kind of_.' You don't need to go overboard with the jokes." He said taking his hand off Beast Boys head, "Besides, you look funny enough with that mask on."

"What are you talking about?" Beast Boy cried, "My mask is cool!" He returned as he pulled down on his mask.

"No." The cyborg interjected as he shook his head, "No it's not."

"Aw man!" Beast Boy cried in anime tears, "But what about my secret identity?"

"You're _green_ and can turn into animals," The brunette responded with a joking smile directed towards Beast Boy, "I'm pretty sure anyone can tell who you are."

The green changeling tried to look for an answer but couldn't find anything to help defend his mask. With a sigh, Beast Boy removed his mask to reveal short spiky hair with pointed ears normally proportioned.

"See?" The brunette chuckled as he rustled his hand through Beast Boys hair, "Doesn't that feel better?"

"I guess so…" The greenling sighed as the brunette removed his hand. "Hey wait, what's your name anyway?"

"Oh!" The brunette just realized he didn't know anyone's names, "That's funny; we've been fighting together all night I thought we knew each other already." He said with a smile as he rubbed the back of his head.

"So, what _is_ your name?" The cyborg asked, turning to face the brunette and changeling.

The brunette turned to the cyborg, "You first." He said, "Wouldn't be fair for me to be the only one introducing myself."

The cyborg approached the brunette, moving his hands out of a crossed position, "Fair enough," The African-American teen said, "Victor."

"Kylar," The brunette replied, holding his hand out for Victor to shake.

The cyborg took Kylar's hand and shook it, "Nice to meet you."

"Same here," The two teens let go of each other's hands with friendly smiles.

"Hey Kylar, I'm Beast Boy!" The green teen said with a toothy grin as he slid up next to the brunette.

"Nice to meet you too, and it's pronounced Ky-_ler_," Kylar chuckled as he rustled Beast Boys hair. After he removed his hand from the greenling's head, he turned to the gray-skinned girl, "And what's your name?"

"It doesn't matter, I won't be staying long anyway." The violet-haired girl responded; her head lowered as she turned away from the brunette.

Kylar approached the sullen girl and placed a hand on her shoulder, turning her to face him, "You're still someone we can trust, and you saved my life too," he said warmly, causing the violet-haired girl to blush a little as she looked into his eyes.

She quickly turned away, breaking eye contact with him, "R-Raven," The blue-clad mage said in response to his question.

The brunette smiled, "Raven," he repeated, "Beautiful name." He said, the gray girl, now known as Raven, quickly backed away from him. Kylar chuckled a bit as he found the girls embarrassment cute.

"So what's next?" Victor asked, Kylar turning to face the taller cyborg.

The brunette sighed, "Well, since I couldn't get money for my sandwich…" Kylar trailed off as he looked to the shore to see a trident like spear sticking out of the sand. He quickly leapt to the alien weapon, grabbed it, and jumped back to the cyborg, "I guess I could pawn this off for some money." He smirked. As he held the spear straight up, it was about a few inches taller than he was, about the height of the cyborg by comparison.

"That. Is. Awesome!" Beast Boy cried excitedly as he slid up next to the taller brunette, eyeing the spear.

As the group of four were interacting with each other, their attention was gathered when they heard a voice come from behind, "Please," The four teens turned to see Robin standing behind them, the alien girl approaching them, revealing an outfit change. Most of her armor had been cast off except for the silver around her neck and forearms, revealing far more skin. Her tank top and boots that were silver-trimmed were now purple, and on her right bicep was a silver armband. The M-shaped crest on her forehead was also gone, revealing a pair of small eyebrows that matched her hair, really bringing out her emerald eyes and giving her an exotic look. "I look… nice?" She asked.

Robin stepped up with a smile, looking the girl over, "I still don't know your name."

"In your language, it would be '_Star Fire_.'" She responded, walking towards the other teens some more.

"Welcome to Earth, Starfire." Robin said with a smile. Raven and Victor walked up to stand behind Robin.

The now named alien smiled, "I thank you all for your bravery and help, and I wish to ask permission… to remain here." Starfire said, looking at Raven and Victor, "Where the people are most…" She looked back to see Beast Boy holding the spear Kylar found, waving it around, then suddenly shooting a bolt of lightening from the tip towards Kylar. The brunette quickly ducked out of the way and grabbed the spear out of the green teens' hands, the latter laughing nervously at what he just did. "Strange…" She added. She turned back to face Robin again, "…but also most… kind," Starfire finished warmly. Robin and the alien girl blushed a bit before looking away from each other.

"You don't need our permission." Raven replied kindly.

"But if you want our friendship, you've got it," Robin said, still smiling as he turned to face Starfire again. Kylar and Beast Boy walked up to join the rest of the group.

"Looks like we could _all_ use some new friends," Victor added.

"Besides, we kind of made a good team," The greenling stated with a smile. The brunette nodding in agreement as he smiled with his eyes closed.

At those words, Robins' eyes widened a bit, as though he remember something. "I thought we might want to keep in touch," The Boy Wonder said as he searched through a pouch on his belt, "so Cyborg and I designed these."

On the last word, Robin pulled out a quad of circular yellow communicators, black trim along the bottom, a side button, and a black antenna with a red button on the side; Starfire, Beast Boy, Raven, and Kylar each took one from the spiky-haired teen.

"Made 'em outta my own circuits." The now dubbed Cyborg said with crossed arms.

"When there's trouble, you know who to call." Robin said.

The group of six turned to face the horizon as the sun continued rising out of the ocean with the sound of waves lapping gently against the islands shores filling the air. Perhaps this was the beginning of a truly beautiful… friendship.

* * *

**Aw yeah, words 'n shit!**

**Author's notes:**

**Hey everyone, thank you so much for taking the time for reading this fanfic. I hope I was able to keep you interested long enough to keep reading, and if not, I bring you apology.**

**As a disclaimer: I don't own anything from the DC Universe, or Teen Titans, or anything else I may have referenced in this chapter.**

**Finally, I'd like to thank NeoNazo356 for giving me the inspiration to make this fanfiction with his story,**

**_Teen Titans: One of Four Elements_. If you haven't read that story, you should because it is awesome.**

**Again, if you read up to this part, thank you so much for taking the time to read this and make sure to write a comment if you want.**


	2. Band of Misfits

In the days following the Gordanian invasion of Jump City, thanks to the valiant efforts of Robin, Kylar, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven, and Starfire, the US Government found themselves hard pressed in cleaning up the debris of the destroyed alien spaceship in the Jump City Bay, as well as paying for the damages that occurred in the city itself. However, the government was not the only powerful group to catch wind of the invasion; the Justice League, Wayne Enterprises, S. T. A. R. Labs, and LexCorp, were all called to help recover and depose of the material that was most likely considered to be dangerous and/or volatile. Luckily, the Justice League and Wayne Enterprises were the first on the scene and were able to remove most of the dangerous materials/technologies, which, if given to the wrong people, could be manufactured to make very destructive weapons.

However, Kylar was able to hide the one spear he recovered from the shoreline from the clean up crews of every powerful group in the world.

Since the time that the brave group of juvenile heroes saved the city, the mayor of Jump came to the realization that there was no task force capable of handling other worldly or supernatural problems that could arise at any moment and pose a threat to the city. I mean, there's the Justice League, of course, but those superheroes and heroines had much more to worry about, and were spread thin enough as it was. So, to help with the protection of the city, the mayor felt it only made sense that the ones who saved the city previously were the ones to create a squad to defend the city. With this in mind, the mayor contacted Robin, seeing as he was the most well known of the group, considering whom he previously worked with.

Robin agreed to the mayors' proposal, but couldn't speak for the other teens. He called the rest of the group that helped out with the alien invasion, telling them to meet him at the pizza joint where they all met for the first time.

0-0

Later that day, Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Kylar, and Raven were all sitting at a circular booth inside the pizza joint discussing the idea of a team, while enjoying a few slices of pizza.

"So let me get this straight," The cyborg said, sitting at one end of the booth as he grabbed a slice, "you want us to join some sort of team to help fight off strange occurrences that could pose as a threat to the city?" He took a bite of the pizza.

"I thought you were looking to go solo." Kylar said, sitting at the other end of the circular booth, sitting next to Starfire. His brown pack and newly acquired spear leaning against the booth next to him.

"I was." The Boy Wonder admitted, he was situated between Cyborg and Beast Boy, "But after thinking it over, and after discussing with the mayor, I think now we could accomplish much more as a team than by ourselves."

"Thath thoundth lie a goo ithea." Beast Boy muffled through a mouth full of vegan pizza.

"I agree." The redheaded alien girl said cheerfully, "That sounds like a most glorious idea."

Raven, hiding her face underneath her blue hood, didn't say anything.

Kylar leaned back into the booth, putting his hands in his jacket pockets, "But to put this team together we need to prove that we can work together and be able to catch criminals." He explained as he exhaled deeply.

"Right."

"And how long did you say we had to do this?" The brunette asked sitting up straight again.

"One week." Robin responded, a little on the cautious side, not knowing as to how the others would respond. He got a reaction he half expected with the other teens staring at him in disbelief.

"That's all the time we _get_?" Cyborg asked. In his disbelief, the cheese on his slice of pizza slid off and landed on his plate. The spiky-haired teen nodded.

"All right, I'm in." Kylar said after a brief moment of silence. The others turned to look at him.

"Seriously?" Raven asked in a deadpanned tone; her first word of the entire conversation.

"I don't see why not." The brunette answered, "Besides, it beats not having a place to return to." He added as he glanced to see if there was any pizza left. A slight frown appeared on his face when he saw all the pieces were either eaten or on Beast Boys plate.

Robin nodded, "Ok, so Kylar agrees." He looked around to the other teens, "What about you four?"

"I'm all for it!" Beast Boy said excitedly as he finished another slice of pizza.

"Yeah, sure thing." Cyborg said, "I'll give it a shot."

"Most definitely!" Starfire cheered, a bright smile on her face.

"…Ok." The blue-clad mage muttered, still hiding her face under her hood.

"All right!" The brunette said as he stood up to stretch. "I'm assuming you've got a plan of some sort." He turned his head to face Robin.

The Boy Wonder returned his look and smirked, signaling that the brunettes' assumption was correct.

0-0

After Robin explained his plan, the other teens talked with the Boy Wonder and the mayor of Jump City about a schedule for what they were going to do for the very important week they had ahead of them.

Since they all didn't have a set place to stay, the mayor had set up an arrangement for the group to stay in rooms at a rather nice hotel at they West district of Jump City. With the six of them and three sectors of Jump City; the North, South, and West districts, the teens would split into three groups of two, alternating partners before making a clean sweep through the city before they reached their deadline.

0-0

On the first day of patrols, the Boy Wonder and the brunette were standing on top of a building, overlooking the district they were assigned. Kylar was holding onto his spear and looking around the area, while Robin was kneeling as he stared into the streets.

Kylar glanced over to see just how intensely Robin was watching for even the slightest bit of criminal activity. "You sure take yourself seriously, don't you?" He said as he took a seat on the ledge of the buildings roof, his legs hanging off.

"I have to be." Robin replied, "I was trained to be able to overcome any sort of obstacle. I can't let my guard down."

Kylar shook his head and chuckled a bit, "That doesn't mean you can't relax from time to time. Crime and corruption will come. But for now…" He reached into his sling backpack and pulled out a candy bar. "Want one?" The brunette asked as he held out the bar to Robin.

The spiky-haired teen glanced over to the brunette, "I guess one won't hurt." He sighed as he took a seat next to his teammate and took the bar. Unwrapping it and taking a bite, Robin turned to see Kylar pull out another bar from his pack. "So," the masked teen started as he took another bite, "what else do you have in there?"

Kylar looked a bit surprised at the question, "Oh, er…" he paused as he glanced inside his bag, "gunpowder, nitroglycerin, _notepads_," he said as he pulled a small notepad out, "fuses, wicks, glue, and… paper clips," he looked up at Robin, "big ones." He held his hands apart from each other to measure about a foot in length.

Robins' eyes went wide before he quickly jumped up and backed away from the brunette.

The black-jacketed teen started laughing, "Heh, you're way too jumpy, Sparrow." He motioned for the Boy Wonder to sit back down, "I was just joking. I only got a change of clothes, toothbrush, some snacks, and…" Kylar said digging deeper into his bag, "a music box."

"Music box?" Robin asked as he sat back down next to his teammate.

"Yeah," Kylar replied as he pulled out a small wooden box. It was probably no bigger than a ring box and it had a carving of a wolf head on the top. When he opened the box, it began to chime a tune.

Robin smirked as he saw a small smile appear on the brunettes face. When the chime ended, the brunette closed the box and placed it back in his bag. "Hey, if you don't mind me asking," Robin started, causing Kylar to glance up at him, "where are you from?"

Kylar looked up to the sky before facing Robin again. He lifted his right arm and jabbed his thumb over his shoulder, "Back there."

A confused look came to the Boy Wonder's face, "Then where were you headed?"

The black-jacketed brunette pointed in front of him, "That way." He responded, "I was just drifting from city to city before coming here." He leaned back, holding himself up with his arms, before sighing. A look of sadness came over the brunettes' face.

Before Robin could ask another question, a woman's scream broke him out of his attempt to read the brunette. "Help me! Help me, someone!" The scream rang through the street.

Kylar quickly grabbed his spear and stood up, "Looks like the crime has arrived."

Robin stood up next to the brunette, who was still taller than him, "Then let's not waste any time." He said as he jumped off the ledge of the building.

Kylar smirked, "Right behind you." He said before jumping off the ledge, following the spiky-haired teen as they followed the sound of the screaming.

0-0

After tuning into the police frequency with Cyborgs' neural networking, Kylar and the half-machine arrived to a shootout at Jump City National Bank. Five robbers were spread out in front of the bank, wearing ski masks and large leather jackets were shooting bullets from tommy guns at three police cars that had one to two cops pinned down behind them, trying to avoid the bullets. Both teammates were currently ducking behind a police car as well to avoid the incoming bullets from the robbers.

"Ok, from what the chief told me," Cyborg said loud enough for the brunette to hear over the sounds of shots being fired, "there are five robbers. We should be able to handle it."

"Got it." Kylar said, giving Cyborg a thumbs up, "I'll draw their attention, then you charge them and shoot them with your cannon."

"Alright, I got your back." Cyborg said with a determined smile as he changed his right hand into a sonic cannon.

With a nod, Kylar grabbed his spear, quickly formed purplish-black flames around his legs, and shot into the air. This startled not only the robbers, but the cops as well. Trying to take down the impending threat, the robbers began shooting at the flying brunette, who began weaving around the bullets as they whizzed by him.

"Now it's my turn!" Cyborg shouted as he jumped over the police car and charged the distracted robbers. "HAAAA!" He shot one robber in the side, knocking him into a wall and rushed to tackle another, punching him in the face and knocking the robber unconscious, "That's two." He quickly turned around and shot another robber in the back, knocking said criminal out, "Three."

Another robber quickly turned to face the cyborg, he was about to shoot at him, but was cut short when a familiar brown haired teen dive-kicked the robber in the head and landed next to him. "That's four." Kylar said with a smirk.

"That leaves one more." Cyborg said. As soon as he finished his statement, the sound of tires screeching filled the air. The two teen super heroes turned to see where the noise came from and saw a car quickly speed out of an alleyway a few streets from the bank. "YO! He's getting away!" Cyborg aimed his cannon towards the fleeing car.

"Hang on," Kylar put up his hand to stop his teammate, "at this distance you might hit something else. Let me try." He said as he formed his purplish-black energy around his arm which then engulfed his trident spear.

"What are you...?" Cyborg was cut off at Kylar stabbing the trident end of his spear into the ground. The half-machine looked in the direction of the car and saw a pillar of the same energy that was around his black-jacketed teammate shoot out of the ground and pierce the car, stopping it in its tracks.

"Nice, I didn't think it would work that well." Kylar said rubbing his arm after the energy dissipated.

Cyborg glanced over to his teammate in amazement then back at the car. He noticed the last robber stumble out of the car and fall onto his knees on the street. He and Kylar walked over to him and cuffed him for the police.

After the police took away the criminals, Kylar and Cyborg were still patrolling the streets for any more criminal activity. Cyborg was leading as Kylar followed close behind.

"Hey Victor," Kylar called out to his metallic teammate, "I noticed Robin called you Cyborg when we beat the aliens. I guess you're going by that?"

Cyborg turned around to face his partner, "Hmm," he brought up his hand to his chin to think about what the brunette just said, "I guess so. It has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" Cyborg responded with a smile.

Kylar chuckled, "Heh, I guess so. It is fitting." He said, "You mind me calling you Cy for short?"

"Not unless you mind me calling you Ky for short." The metallic teen retorted.

"Hmm, Cy and Ky, huh?" Kylar scratched his chin, "Heh, we make a good team." He said with a smile, fist bumping his teammate. "Guess we gotta come up with nicknames for everyone now."

"Guess so." Cyborg laughed.

The two partners continued their patrol before the sounds of police sirens caught their attention.

"I guess it's a never ending battle, huh?" Kylar said as he jabbed his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the sirens.

"Nope." Cyborg responded flatly as he began walking towards the sounds.

Kylar smiled and quickly ran past the cyborg, "Race ya!" He called out as he got further from his teammate.

"Oh, you're on!" Cyborg called out as he ran to catch up to the brunette.

0-0

The brown and auburn haired teens were flying through the sky above their appointed section of the city on the third day of patrols. Everything seemed quiet at the moment so the pair found a rooftop to rest on. Both standing at the edge, Kylar had his hands in his jacket pockets as he stood his spear up by holding it between his side and his arm.

It was quiet between the two of them for a while. The silence made Starfire feel a bit uneasy as she began to feel that the brunette was upset with her. She turned to the black-jacketed teen to say something but the other teen beat her to it.

"I'm sorry." The brunette said, surprising the alien girl.

"What is it that you are apologizing?" Starfire asked, her usual innocent and sincere tone prevalent in her voice.

Kylar turned to face his auburn haired alien teammate, "For attacking you the night we met." He said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh," Starfire said meekly, "But the fault is not yours. I should give apology for attacking first."

Kylar chuckled, "Perhaps, but I still attacked you with bad intentions." He replied, "Even though you are a super strong alien." This comment caused Starfire to giggle a bit. "If you don't mind me asking, what was it that I yelled at you?"

Starfire blushed a bit at the brunettes' request, remembering what he said the night she crashed on Earth, "I would rather not say… but if you must know, it means…" she leaned towards Kylars' ear and whispered into it.

The black-jacketed brunettes' eyes went wide as he blushed at what he heard, "O-oh… I see…" He cleared his throat as Starfire took a step back, "Well, I just want you to know I didn't mean it." He said with a friendly smile as he scratched the back of his head.

"It is ok, friend Kylar." The brunettes' teammate responded, "I do not expect you to know the Tamaranean language."

"Oh, so that's what you're known as?" Kylar asked in an intrigued tone. "If it's ok, I'd like to know more about the Tamaranean culture."

Starfire's eyes lit up with diamonds at the brunettes' words, "Oh, that is most wonderful, friend Kylar!" She exclaimed as she gave her teammate a crushing hug and lifted him off his feet, "I would be most happy to teach you the ways of Tamaran!"

"That's… great…" The brunette struggled to say through his currently crushed lungs, "Can't… breath…"

Starfire gasped as she softened her grip, the brunette folding backwards in her arms, "Friend Kylar, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm ***cough*** ok." Kylar coughed trying to catch his breath. As he stood back up, the sound of a store alarm rang through the air, catching the two super powered teens attention, "Looks like we have some ne'er-do-wells at large." He grabbed his spear and leaned over the ledge of the building, "Let's get going." He pointed in the direction of the alarm with his spear.

"Yes! Let us stop these wells of ne'er!" Starfire exclaimed confidently as she flew towards the alarm; Kylar laughing a bit as he followed the alien girl.

0-0

Mid-morning on the fourth day of patrols, Beast Boy and Kylar were lying beneath the shade of a tree in one of Jump City's many plazas. The brunette he had his spear and sling pack set next to him as he and his teammate were on their backs, fingers laced behind their heads. There wasn't much conflict going on, but maybe _something_ would be nice to break the sound of birds chirping through the air.

"AaaaaaAAAHH!" Beast Boy grunted as he sat up from the ground, sitting cross-legged, "Why can't there be anything happening. I'm so bored!" A sight gag showed Beast Boys' head deflate as he rested his head on his hands.

"Hmm…" The brunette mused over a thought he had in his mind as the greenling complained about his boredom. He held up his right arm and began to form his purplish-black energy on his hand.

Beast Boy glanced over to his teammate, "What are you doing?" He asked, tilting his head as he raised an eyebrow.

"I was thinking," Kylar responded. As he sat up, the energy in his hand began forming a ball the size of a baseball, "You know how Star shoots bolts out of her hands?" The green changeling nodded, "I was thinking, maybe I can do something sim-" He was cut off as the black ball of energy suddenly shot out of his hand and up into the sky, cutting a hole through the leaves and branches of the tree they were under.

"Whoa, DUDE!" Beast Boy exclaimed, "That was AWESOME!" He stood up and moved from under the tree to see where the ball went. The brunette followed him to find where his attack flew. "I don't see it." The greenling said as he narrowed his eyes to scan the sky for the black ball. Suddenly, a small purplish-black explosion appeared above them, catching the two teens attention.

"There it is." Kylar said evenly; the greenlings eyes lighting up with diamonds as he turned to face the brunette.

"Dude, try something else!" Beast Boy said excitedly since this was the most exciting thing to happen all day.

Kylar looked at his hand, "Hmm… Ok, I might have something." He focused more energy into his right hand. "Stand back, I don't know how this'll work." Beast Boy took a step back as his black-jacketed teammate moved his arm in a chopping motion above his head. When he did that, an arc of purplish-black energy sliced through the air above the two. However, unlike the ball of energy, this attack dissipated instead of exploded.

"DUDE! That is so~~~ cool!" Beast Boy exclaimed as he continued admiring his teammates new moves. "How do you do that?"

Kylar smiled at his green partner as he rubbed his right hand, "Aura." He answered.

Beast Boy's eyes quickly flashed back to normal as a confused look appeared on his face, "Are a what?" He asked scratching his head.

The brunette chuckled a little, "Not 'are a.' Aura, a-u-r-a." He spelled out so the changeling wouldn't be confused.

"Oh! Aura!" Beast Boy said as if coming to a sudden realization, "What's that?" He asked dumbly as he tilted his head to the side and rubbed his chin.

Kylar put his hand on his chin to think about what it was he was going to say to the greenling so he could understand exactly what his powers were, "Hmm, the best way to explain aura…" purplish-black energy began to envelope the brunettes arms, "Aura is the spiritual energy that surrounds all sentient beings." He began explaining, "The spiritual energy that is the very essence of the _soul_ is manifested as this flame-like energy you see on my arms." Kylar motioned to his arms.

"That's so cool." Beast Boy said as he nodded to signify he understood, even if it was a little, about what Kylar was saying.

"And what I do," Kylar continued as the energy on his arms dissipated, "is manipulate this spiritual energy through high levels of concentration and channel it to specific body parts to greatly enhance physical abilities, like strength, speed, stamina, durability, and so on."

"OoooooOOOOoohhh," Beast Boy awed at what Kylar was saying, "So wait, how are you able to fly?"

Kylar chuckled, "By focusing the energy into my legs, the output of energy allows me to levitate," his black aura formed around his legs and he began to float, "The more energy I release, the higher and faster I can fly." He explained as he landed, "And apparently I can manifest it into projectiles as well." He looked up to the sky.

"Woooow!" Beast Boy said, "I wonder what else you can do!" Beast Boy began looking over Kylar from multiple angles.

"Hmmm…" Kylar mused, "Who knows?" Kylar shrugged with an innocent smile.

Beast Boy frowned in disappointment at Kylars' lack of enthusiasm, "Aw, but can't you-" the sound of sirens in the distance cut Beast Boy off from finishing his sentence.

"Looks like we got trouble," Kylar said as he hurried to pick up his bag and spear, "Let's see how well these moves do in action." He smiled as he rustled his shorter partners hair with his hand.

Beast Boy chuckled, "Heh, alright." He said as he playfully swatted Kylars' hand from his head, "Let's go kick some criminal butt!" He exclaimed as both teens quickly dashed in the direction of the sirens.

0-0

The fifth day of patrols seemed to be going perfectly, the sun was shining, birds were chirping, everything was so peaceful. The blue-cloaked mage and the black-jacketed brunette were currently sitting on the roof of an apartment complex, overlooking the section they were assigned. Raven was sitting cross-legged with both her hands raised with her middle and thumb fingers creating a circle as she meditated, her hood was covering the top half of her face. The brunette was hanging one leg off the edge as he sat on his other as he leaned back on his hands, his spear and backpack lying next to him.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos." The gray-skinned girl chanted with her eyes closed, never breaking concentration.

Kylar glanced over to his teammate and raised his eyebrow, "So those are your magic words, right?"

"…Yes." The mage replied before returning to her meditation.

"And they are what allow you to use your magic for anything you need them for?"

"…Yes." Raven stated plainly.

Kylar sighed, "You don't really talk much, do you?"

"…No."

"Didn't think so." He said as he lied on his back and laced his fingers behind his head. "It's such a nice day, don't you think?"

Raven stopped her chanting and opened one eye to look up to see the bright blue sky over them. "I guess." She said evenly as she closed her eyes again.

Kylar looked over to the violet haired mage and sighed, a bit down at not being able to get the girl to open up a bit. From what he could tell about the girl, she kept to herself almost all the time, rarely showing any emotion for… whatever reason. "Why do you keep your hood up all the time?" He asked as he sat back up.

Raven kept silent, seemingly not wanting to answer the question. Kylar lowered his head dejectedly before he heard the mage say something to him, "Why do you keep asking me questions?"

He turned to face the blue-clad girl, who stopped her chanting and was currently standing; Kylar stood up as well and turned to face the girl, "Hmm…." He mused before rubbing his chin; "I just want to get to know you better." He gave a sincere smile as he approached the shorter mage.

Raven turned away to avoid looking at him, "Why? Why do you care about someone like me?"

Kylar placed a hand on the mages shoulder and turned her to face him. Looking into her eyes he said, "Because you're my friend, and friends care for each other," and gave her a warm and sincere smile.

"But I'm…" Raven started before the brunette cut her off.

"The same with Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy." He said, "We're all your friends, so you don't have to act like you're alone."

Raven just looked into Kylars' blue eyes and saw the sincerity in them. Her eyes glistened in response to his words, and the pulling down of her hood to reveal the top half of her face by the black-jacketed teen pulled her back into reality. "Heh," he chuckled, "this cowl hides your beauty too much."

After the comment, the light bulb in a nearby lamppost exploded. Raven quickly pulled her hood back up and backed away from the brunette, turning away from him to hide her embarrassment.

Kylar chuckled to himself as the sounds of sirens in the distance caught both teens' attentions.

"Let's go." Raven said plainly before flying off in the direction of the sirens.

With a smile, Kylar quickly picked up his backpack and spear and flew off into the sky to catch up to his teammate.

0-0

"So," Beast Boy yawned, "What are we gonna do today?" He asked as he, the cyborg, and the brunette were walking through city in the mid-morning of the sixth day, "I mean we already kicked so much criminal butt this week, we should be official heroes by now!"

Kylar and Cyborg stopped walking and turned to face the greenling that was walking behind them. They looked at each other and back to Beast Boy before continuing to walk.

"Uh, guys?" Beast Boy asked as the two other males left him behind, "Guys!" He stood there for a second before sighing. When he was about to walk, a newspaper flew into his face, "Gack!" He cried as he pulled the flying piece of paper from his face, "Stupid p-," he stopped himself as he read the paper, his face lighting up as he finished reading it.

"Beast Boy, are you coming or-gck!" Kylar was cut off when he turned around and the green changeling jumped on his shoulders and shoved the newspaper in his face.

"Dudes! Check this out!" Beast Boy exclaimed ecstatically.

Cyborg sighed as he pulled the smaller teammate from the brunettes shoulders, "What are you doing, BB?" the metal teen was holding him by the back collar of his magenta jumpsuit.

"Read the article; we're in it!" Beast Boy said with a toothy smile, hanging from the cyborgs grip.

Kylar pulled the newspaper from his face and held it in front of him, "New clothing line-up is _all the rage_ with tweens of Jump City." He read, giving the green teen a blank stare.

"What?" Beast Boy asked in confusion as he jumped down and grabbed the newspaper. "Not that, this!" He pointed to another article lower on the paper.

"Oh. Local teenage hero team cracks down on crime." Kylar read as he grabbed the paper, "These young, justice enforcers have truly become titans of crime fighting in the past week…" The brunette stopped reading as Beast Boy pulled the paper away.

"So? What do you think?" The eccentric green teen asked, tossing the paper away from the trio.

"About what?" Cyborg questioned with a straight face.

"The name for our team!" Beast Boy exclaimed, "We gotta have a cool name for our team!"

"Young Justice?" Kylar asked with a raised eyebrow as he crossed his arms.

"No! Although that wouldn't be too bad…" Beast Boy contemplated as he rubbed his chin before shaking his head, "No, I mean the Titans!"

Cyborg and Kylar shot a glance at each other before facing the shape shifter, "Hmm… I guess that's a good name." Cyborg mused at the thought, "But we're gonna need to talk to the rest of the group if we're gonna make it official."

"Plus just the name; _Titans, _make me think of the mythological, elemental beings that were _thousands_ of years old." Kylar added, "I mean I'd like to think of my youth for as long as I can, if you know what I mean."

"Heh," Cyborg laughed, "I hear ya." They both glanced over to see Beast Boy thinking hard. "You all right?"

"I got it!" The greenling snapped his fingers in realization, surprising the other two, "The _Teen Titans_! We're crime fighting superheroes, and we're teenagers!"

Kylar and Cyborg thought about it for a few seconds. "That's-" Kylar began. The sound of beeping from the robotic teens arm cut the black-jacketed teen off.

"We got trouble!" Cyborg exclaimed as he looked at his arm, "Bank robbery 2 miles East."

"Right, we'll discuss this later."

"Yeah. For now, let's kick some bad guy butt!" Beast Boy exclaimed as he ran off down the road.

Kylar and Cyborg sighed, "Should we tell him East is the other direction?" Kylar asked.

"Yeah… we should."

0-0

The seventh and final day; the last chance to prove to the city that each teen was capable of working together and stopping crime that occurred in the city. Robin was leaping from building top to building top as Starfire and Kylar flew overhead. After coming to the edge of another roof, Robin stopped to survey the area. The two flying teens dropped down next to him to help with surveying.

"So after today, we learn whether the mayor consents to the team?" The brunette asked as he stretched by using his spear.

"Yeah." The spiky-haired, masked teen replied, "The mayor said he'd contact me tomorrow."

"Perhaps when we succeed, I could create the celebratory Tamaranean Cake of Congratulation!" The orange-skinned teen cheerfully exclaimed. Causing Robin to smile lightly.

"Sure, I'll eat it." Kylar stated with a smile. The alien girl couldn't be more overjoyed by the response.

The three of them stood at the edge in silence for a few minutes before the brunette broke it. "So, what do you think about Beast Boys' idea?" He asked the brightly colored hero.

Robin didn't respond immediately, instead he stood there looking out into the city for a few seconds, "It does sound pretty good." He finally responded. "I think the _Teen Titans_ is a good name."

"I agree." Starfire added, "Friend Beast Boy certainly came up with a wonderful name for our group." She finished with her usual happy tone.

"All right, nice." Kylar said, "So what should we do now? Considering anyone is still crazy enough to try and commit a crime after this week." He continued looking out over the city.

"Never let your guard down." Robin stated, "Once you do, you'll find yourself caught off-guard and lose something that could possibly never be replaced."

Kylar shook his head, "You need to relax a bit, Sparrow. Anyone tell you you're too hasty?"

Robin shot a glare at the brunette; a huge sweat drop fell from the back of his head as he felt the intensity. "Don't call me that."

"Robin, why does friend Kylar call you Sparrow?" Starfire asked, clearly confused about the concept of a nickname.

Kylar chuckled, "It's just a nickname, like when we call you Star, or we call Beast Boy BB, or Cyborg Cy, or Raven Rae, even if she doesn't like it."

"Oh I see, so friend Kylar, you are friend Ky?" Starfire asked happily. Robin was standing between them, hunched over, arms crossed, and pouting as his teammates spoke.

"Mmm hmm!" Kylar nodded, "And Robin is Sparrow, or at least I call him that." He rustled the pouting teens' hair.

He swatted the taller brunettes' hand from his head, "I'd prefer if you didn't." He stated through gritted teeth.

"Aw, but it's a good name!" Kylar jokingly pouted; Starfire nodding in agreement.

"Can we please just focus on the city right now?" Robin asked in a clearly annoyed tone.

The sound of police sirens caught the attention of the three teens, "Ok, seriously? I'm surprised." Kylar voiced his opinion.

"C'mon. Let's get going." Robin said as he ran and jumped from the building roof to the next building over, Starfire following him, and the brunette following close behind.

0-0

Success! The valiant efforts of the six super powered teens were not in vein as the mayor approved the formation of the _Teen Titans,_ as they would now be officially referred as. And as an added bonus, the mayor commissioned the large island in the bay of Jump City to be where the team could set up their headquarters right after they were officially inaugurated by, not only the mayor, but by the Justice League as well. Oddly enough, the team decided to model their living arrangements as a large tower in the shape of a giant **T**, you know because it stands for Titan, and this would be their base of operations to live out their daily lives, train, and so on.

In the months that followed, since the Teen Titans would be considered as a branch to the Justice League, and has also been approved by the leaders of that group of super friends, they, along with Wayne Enterprises, funded and organized the construction of Titans Tower. With their combined efforts, the top engineers had ensured nothing but the best in technology that the team could use to help fight the good fight, keeping the teens' and the city's needs in mind. Since it took some time to build, however, the teens themselves would pitch in to help with the construction as well as continue protecting the city, and just hanging around when taking time off.

However, once the tower was finished, it was like a fortress, a large **T** fortress out in the middle of the bay that's completely open, with a large selection of facilities that the teens could use. From the lowest level to the top, the tower was equipped with: a submarine launch/docking bay, basement, garage, storage, lobby, infirmary, crime lab, evidence room, gym, virtual simulation training area, a room filled with monitors to watch over the city, and a GPS room on the topmost floor, as well as the top floor being corridors that led to twelve rooms situated on the sides of the big **T**. The roof of the massive tower was a large and open courtyard-like area with a heli-pad installed for landings of any type of plane or helicopter that was owned by the team, or friends of. If you were looking at the tower, Robins', Starfires', and Cyborg's rooms would be on the right side of the tower, while on the left side were Beast Boys', Ravens', and Kylars' rooms, all of which were equipped with an initial room for the beds, closets, and, of course, private bathrooms. The rooms were a fair size for the teens, and the windows led outside to either balconies, or just opened up for the air to breeze through, and were all decorated by each individual teen to match their personalities. The other rooms were situated as either guest rooms, or rooms that were used for excess storage, at least for the time being. To connect to the city, aside from flying or by taking a boat, an underground bay tunnel was installed to connect the tower to Jump City, even though only specified people could enter said tunnel.

The Main Operation Center was the base of operations for the team. Intended to be a multi-purpose room and perhaps the largest room at the top of the tower, it came equipped with a kitchen, communication monitors, a fridge and pantry, and was also designed as the common area for the tower with a large circular yellow table in the center with a black eight-segmented couch behind it set in front of a huge TV that folded out of the floor in front of the main window that looked out over the bay.

Finally, and perhaps the most useful, was the security that Titans Tower was equipped with. Motion detectors, surveillance cameras, alarms, a _seismograph_, and a connection to any and all major and minor establishments' security feeds in Jump City came with the tower as an early-warning system so the island's inhabitants knew when they were needed.

So, you got all that? Six _teens_ have been situated with a roughly 200 foot tall fortress in the shape of a **T** that comes equipped with everything necessary for them to fight crime.

0-0

After a few weeks of living in the tower, Kylar found himself lying on his bed in his room. It was situated on the left side of the tower, if looking at the tower, facing the city, where the entire wall was mostly just a window that he could open up to leap out of if he wanted to head to the city. The room was a fairly large size, yet was designed as a humble show of Kylars' character. The remaining walls and ceiling were nice maroon color that gave the room a nice calm feel and the floor was covered in carpet. When entering the room, on the wall to the left was the door to the bathroom, a closet full of new clothes that he bought, and a desk and chair with a desk lamp and laptop resting on it and his spear leaning against it. The bathroom came with a full body tub that could fit two people, and a standing shower, along with a toilet, sink, and cabinets, but those were obvious. In the middle of the room were a coffee table, a leather couch to the left of it, and two single leather armchairs to the right. On the table were two lit purple candles that gave off the aroma of lavender. To the right was the low-rise, queen-sized bed that Kylar was laying on that was placed against the wall and covered in black sheets. Two large bookshelves were placed on both sides of the bed with a connecting section that crossed over above the bed as well. It had some books in it, but mostly held Kylars' personal effects from when he was traveling. Some hooks were also on the wall next to the bookshelf where he had hung his backpack and brown-fluff trimmed jacket, and finally a nice sized grand piano in the corner of the room.

The brunette was lying on his back, fingers laced behind his head, as he rested on his new bed. His music box was open and chiming the tune next to him. After the tune ended, the box closed by itself, when it did, Kylar sat up, "Well, I guess I'll go see what the others are doing." He said as he stood up and grabbed his jacket, "Hmm, there's still one problem that needs a solution though." He said as he headed out of his room.

0-0

His first visit was to his neighboring smaller teammate, Beast Boy. Upon entering, Kylar saw that Beast Boy sure did live up to his name, making his room as completely messy as he could in the few weeks they'd been living in the tower. His room was mostly green with a black and purple bunk bed, a pile of clothes covering the lower bunk, in fact, there were clothes spread out everywhere in the room, except in his drawers, where they should be. His closet was the worst offender as it just had a pile flowing out of it. The bathroom… was surprising clean.

Kylar was currently talking with the green teen wonder, "So you got the plan?" He asked.

"Yeah!" Beast Boy exclaimed with diamonds in his eyes, "Oh this'll be so much fun!" He chuckled mischievously as he rubbed his hands together.

"Good, just be in the Ops Center when I tell you to." Kylar said with a smile as he waved goodbye and left the room.

0-0

His next stop was to the resident mage. During their time in the tower, Kylar tried to get Raven to open up more so as to not to just be by herself the entire time, much to the gray girls' chagrin. But his persistence paid off as she did tell the others more about her interests, or letting them figure them out. To what the brunette could gather, she enjoyed herbal tea, cafes, poetry, meditation, reading, and horror movies. That's about it though; she didn't really like to talk about her past a lot, if at all.

-_**Knock**_- -_**Knock**_- "Raven?" The brunette called after knocking on the mages' door, "You home?" He didn't get a response.

After a few seconds, instead of a voice responding, he door opened slightly so as to show the blue-clad girl to the guest, "What?" She asked in her usual flat tone.

"I wanted to ask if you could come to the Ops Center later for something important." Kylar explained nervously as the glare from the girl started weighing on his mind. He tried to see if he could get a better look at her room, but it didn't seem like the lights were on; as a result he couldn't make out what was in her room.

After a short silence, "Fine." She responded as she closed the door.

"Ok, great!" The brunette sounded happy, "I'll come get you when we're ready!" He called to the mage through the shut door before walking down to the other end of the corridor.

0-0

His third stop was at his robotic buddies room. When he got in, he immediately noticed just how the room mimicked Cyborg's entire neural implants. On the far and side walls, encompassing half of the room, was a large computer array, as well as a mechanical rack, which looked like a charging station. The other half of the room looked like a standard teenagers bedroom.

"That sounds like a great idea." Cyborg said after hearing Kylars' plan.

Kylar grinned, "Sweet, so then we'll meet in the Common Room when I come and get you." Cyborg nodded in agreement. Before leaving, Kylar gave Cyborg a high five and looked over his computer system. "You gotta teach me how to use these things." He said, scanning the set up.

"All right, you got it." Cyborg said, "Just come by whenever you want and I'll teach you anything you wanna know. Who knows? Maybe you'll be good enough to create your own tech."

With a chuckle and a wave, Kylar left for his next destination.

0-0

His last stop was to Starfire's room. When he entered the room, he saw that the walls were a bright magenta color with purple drapes over the panoramic view window. There was also a purple bureau with a full-body mirror attached and drawers on the one side of the room, as well as a large mirror on the wall. In the middle of the room was a large, circular bed.

After discussing some plans, Starfire exclaimed, "Glorious! I will create the Cake of Congratulations for such an occasion!"

Kylar chuckled at the girls' enthusiasm, "That's a great idea, Star. But I already have the food situation taken care of." The auburn haired girl deflated a little. "Instead, I have a very important mission for you; you need to take Robin away from the tower until I call you back. Can you do that?

Starfires' face lit up at the words, "Most definitely! I can guarantee this mission a success!"

With a nod, and having to dodge another death hug from the super powered alien, Kylar headed to his room to get ready.

0-0

After Starfire and Robin left the tower, the latter finding the whole idea a bit sudden and suspicious at first, but coming to enjoy the time he spent with the girl more, Kylar called for Cyborg and Beast Boy to help set up the Ops Center. He didn't really want to bother Raven with the planning, so he waited for when the three of them to be finished with the decorations. After they finished, Kylar called for Starfire to bring the Boy Wonder back and then he went to get the purplette from her room and they all waited in the Common room for their remaining teammates return.

"All right, Star, what's going on?" Robin asked as he was being dragged through the corridor outside of the Ops Center by said alien teen.

Starfire giggled, barely able to hold her excitement, "You will see. It is going to be most wonderful!" They stopped in front of the Common room door. Robin was a bit confused when then reached their destination, and entered the room first. When they opened the door, the lights were off and they couldn't see what was in the room.

Suddenly, the lights came on, surprising the masked teen, "SURPRISE!" Kylar, Beast Boy, and Cyborg shouted as they stood in the middle of the room. Raven had a party blower that she blew into with a bored look on her face.

Robin looked around the room to see a large cake and a smaller cake on the counter next to the kitchen; the entire room was decorated with streamers, and balloons. "What's all this for?" He asked as he took in everything he saw.

"Well~~~," Kylar held the last syllable of the word as Robin and Starfire walked further into the room, "We were talking about how our team doesn't have an official leader yet."

"So _I_ came up with the brilliant idea of picking who _should_ be the leader of the team!" Beast Boy pointed his thumb at himself while he explained _his _plan. Robin looked at him with a confused look.

Kylar and Cyborg chuckled while Raven shook her head, "No he didn't." She said flatly. This caused Beast Boy to deflate a little in the head.

"We _all_ came to the decision that _you're_ the best choice for the leader." Cyborg added, directed to the masked teen, as he rustled his hand through the green teens hair. Kylar walked over to cut some pieces of the cake and placed it on plates.

"Wait… really?" This was the only thing Robin could muster up as the news came as a huge shock to him. He looked behind him to Starfire who smiled and nodded happily. He then looked back in front of him as the other members also nodded. "I… I don't know what to say."

Kylar walked up to him with a plate of cake with a fork in it and handed it to the Boy Wonder, "You could say 'you can count on me, guys.'" Kylar joked. He then went on to hand out the cake to Starfire, Raven, and Cyborg. Kylar then cut a piece out of the smaller, soy cake for Beast Boy since he doesn't eat anything from an animal, and cakes are made with eggs and milk, so~~~.

Robin smiled, "Heh, all right. You can count on me, guys." He replied as he grabbed the fork.

"Great!" Kylar exclaimed as he grabbed a plate for himself, "So no matter what obstacle we come across…"

"No matter the difficulty…" Starfire added as she walked over to join the other members.

"Or the severity…" Raven added.

"Since we're the best team around…" Beast Boy said before he stuffed his face in his cake.

"We'll find a way to get through it." Cyborg added.

Robin smiled as he walked over to join his team, "Together." He finished the saying. And with that, they all dug into their cake, happy that they all were part of something great.

* * *

**Aw yeah, more words 'n shit.**

**Author's Notes:**

**Well, here it is; Chapter 2, which is really just an expository chapter to explain the origin of the team and help explain a little about the original character that's in the story as well.**

**I apologize for the length, it's not as long as I thought it would be, but I think it's still a good length. I tried to get it to at least 10,000 words, but I fell short. Oh well.**

**For those of you that are reading this, thanks for taking the time to come all the way through the page to read this. For those who aren't reading this, the name of the plastic part of your shoelace is called an aglet, and their true purpose is something **_**diabolical**_**.**

**Anyway, thank you to the six of you who read the first chapter, I hope you stick around and I hope I can continue to entertain you in the future.**

**Until next time, zip it up, and zip it out.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the DC Universe, nor do I own anything from Teen Titans. I also do not own any other references that were made in the chapter, they all belong to their respective owners.**


	3. Divide and Conquer

It was nighttime. The radiant glow of the moon shined brightly in the sky over Jump City as the lights of concrete jungle came on. Everything seemed peaceful as the nightlife of the citizens began. Unfortunately, the same could not be said about a high-security prison a few miles outside the city. From an aerial view, one could see smoke pour in from behind the outer wall that lead to the prison courtyard and the shattered front entrance. Smoke also rose from a spot on the bridge that leads to the complex. If those clues were not enough to indicate that something very bad was going on, the blaring klaxons and sirens ringing throughout the prison would help settle that point.

Inside the entrance of the prison: three guards, armed with what looked to be laser rifles and covered in white, ballistic full-body armor, ran through to reach the entrance to find the cause of the disturbance. The only difference in appearance of the three guards were the numbers emblazoned on their shoulders, being 1, 3, and 8.

"Code red!" The guard with the 1 on his uniform shouted through the headpiece in his helmet, "Cellblock Nine! Move out!" After receiving the order, the other two guards charged in front of the supposed captain as he followed closely behind. When they entered the courtyard, they slowed down to scan for any foreign invaders, weapons at the ready. "Main yard secure."

As soon as the captain finished his statement, a large piece of concrete landed in front of the guards, catching their attention. They turned to see the large silhouette of the perpetrator bashing its way through a wall. "There he is!" The guard with the 3 emblazoned on his shoulder shouted before they advanced towards the silhouette.

"He'll free the criminals!" The guard with the 8 on his shoulder shouted. The three guards stopped advancing, leveled their weapons, and took aim at the monster. Their target finally bashed a large hole through the wall of the cellblock and began to trudge forward. As some of the smoke began to fade, the guards could see the creatures' back. They could tell it was at least ten feet tall, very blocky, and appeared to be built entirely of concrete.

"Fire!" Guard 1 commanded. The three guards let loose a flurry of lasers from their rifles that struck the edges of the hole the monster made. While a few shots connected with his back, most of the shots missed entirely.

Feeling the blasts hit him, the monster turned to face the guards to reveal an equally blocky face with small red eyes. Unfortunately for the guards, the shots had no discernible effect on him as he voiced a grating roar. Lifting its massive left foot, the thing stomped on the ground. The resulting seismic wave produced a long fissure that caused slabs of concrete and dust to rise up into the three guards' faces, spoiling their aim. The concrete monster then ran into the prison, leaving the guards _in the dust_. Looking around as it advanced through the cellblock, as though it were looking for a particular object, the creature was interrupted as a voice from above cut its concentration.

"You know, Cinderblock, normally the bad guys break out of jail." The voice of a young male echoed throughout the prison hall.

"And I can think of _six_ good reasons why you don't want to break in." The now dubbed Cinderblock turned to see Robin standing on an overhead catwalk. "One!" The masked teen called as he jumped down to the ground and landed in a crouch.

"Two!" A familiar auburn haired teen said, flying by Cinderblock and dropping to the right of Robin.

"_**Rrrr!**_" A green tiger growled as it lunged in and landed next to Starfire. When it landed, the beast took human form to reveal Beast Boy, "Three!"

Raven then swooped in and landed on Robins' left side, black orbs of magic surrounding her hands, ready to attack, "Four!"

"Five!" Cyborg called out as he dropped down next to the spiky-haired teen.

Finally, a black-jacketed brunette flew up next to Beast Boy. "Six!" He called as he touched down next to the green team member, hands in his jacket pockets.

"No matter how you do the math, it all adds up to you going down." Robin stated as the team had finished assembling. "So, are you going to go quietly…"

"Or is this gonna get _loud_?" Cyborg asked, finishing Robins' sentence.

The concrete humanoid readied itself for a charge, "**GRAAAAAAAHHH!**" Cinderblock roared as he began to barrel straight towards them, a thundering clap resounding through the hall with each step.

"Titans! GO!" Robin exclaimed as he and Cyborg ran towards the monster. Beast Boy transformed into a hawk as he, Starfire, Raven, and Kylar flew above the grounded duo.

When the team was within range of the rock monster, Robin leapt into a kick that landed on the left side of Cinderblocks face, spinning the monster around. He turned back just in time to catch a double dose of starbolts in his back, courtesy of Starfire. Stunned by the force of the attack, Cyborg took this moment to rush at the thing, trying to land a right hook. Cinderblock was able to intercept the attack by grabbing it with his own hand, but the force of the impact was still enough to drive the creature back. There was a follow-up by the brunette as he flew his right knee into the enemy's concrete face. This was enough for him to take a few steps back as it stumbled from the attack. When it got its bearings, the monster then rushed towards Kylar, only to be interrupted by the green hawk as it dove in and raked its talons across the concrete body time after time, forcing Cinderblock to run to another corner. Raven put herself in his path and threw her hands up to levitate a section of the floor, tilting it up until it stood vertically. The mage floated out of the way an instant before their opponent crashed through the improvised barrier as though it were nothing. It was then that Robin, Cyborg, and Starfire rushed him.

Unfortunately for the trio, one giant backhand from the moving rock was enough to knock Robin and Cyborg away, leaving Starfire the only one still charging the monster. She chucked a couple of starbolts at the enemy, but they weren't enough for her to avoid getting grabbed by Cinderblocks two enormous hands and being pulled close enough to have a face-to-face look at him. To the monsters surprise, instead of panic, a smile came over the orange-skinned aliens face.

"I am sorry to disappoint you, but I am _stronger_ than I look." Starfire said as her eyes began glowing her signature green color. She proved her statement true by breaking his hold and delivering a high kick that drove her captor against a wall.

With a grunt, Cinderblock picked himself up after regaining his balance. A screech from a hawk caught his attention as he saw the bird swoop in again; in an instant, he noticed the hawk transform into a tyrannosaurus rex and land on the ground before stomping towards him. The concrete villain stood pat before Beast Boys' thundering charge, but before the green T-rex could flatten the villain, Cinderblock delivered a devastating left hook that sent the charger flying.

"Azarath Metrion-" Raven cut off her incantation with a sharp, shocked gasp as she discovered Beast Boy's shadow falling over her. She looked up to see him dropping from above as he changed back into his human form, accompanied by a panicked yell from the changeling. Before the mage could get out of the way, he fell on her like a ton of bricks and was the first to stand after the impact. Raven stood up a moment later and gritted her teeth in anger before recomposing herself as a lock of hair fell over her face.

"Heh… watch out for falling dinosaurs?" The green teen chuckled sheepishly with a toothy grin. Ravens' only response was shooting him a hard glare as she blew the hair out of her face. "I'm gonna leave you alone now." He said before slinking away from the angered Goth.

After Beast Boy left, Raven looked back over to see Kylar engaging the concrete humanoid, who was on the receiving end of a flurry of purplish-black powered punches and kicks. "C'mon, Blocky, where's the effort?" The brunette asked as he continued delivering blow after blow to the monster. As he jumped to deliver a kick, Cinderblock countered by grabbing the teens' leg, smiling as he held the brunette up, "That's more like it." Kylar gave a malicious smile. The next thing the monster saw was Kylar leaping towards his face with his other leg, using the villain as a base. With a charged ball of energy in hand, the brunette connected with Cinderblocks face, a small explosion resulting from the collision.

The explosion caused Cinderblock to lose his grip and stumble back as Kylar was sent into a wall. As the rock giant regained its senses, he turned to leave the area but was taken by surprise when Robin suddenly jumped onto his neck and tried to put him in a headlock, only to realize that the creature didn't _have _a neck. Stumbling around at random, the creature tried everything it could to shake the Boy Wonder loose.

"Thrashing only makes me hold _tighter_!" Robin taunted as the stone behemoth tore a girder loose from the wall, a chunk of concrete from the floor was still connected to the bottom if it. Cinderblock then raised the girder for a swing back over his shoulder to hit Robin. But jumping away at the last second, the Boy Wonder was able to escape certain injury. As a result, Cinderblock clocked himself in the head, the girder bending around his cement skull.

"Now _there's_ an idea." Cyborg said as he looked at another girder. The metallic teen rushed to pull the girder out from the wall and charged the villain; Cinderblock readied himself with his own makeshift club. When they were close enough, the two of them began swinging at each other, flashes of blue sparked through the air every time their weapons collided. Cyborg was steadily gaining ground on the enemy, but Cinderblock wasn't going to take this beating lying down. He quickly pushed Cyborg back with a kick and brought his girder down in a mighty swing. The attack connected, sending the robotic Titan and his girder skidding across the floor.

He approached the fallen hero with his club raised, ready to give the teen another thrashing, but a blast from the back of his head caught his attention. The stone creature turned around to see the brunette with both arms engulfed in his aura, "I'm not out of this yet!" He stated through heavy breaths as he readied another orb of energy in his hand. Cinderblock was about to swing at the brunette, but a quick flash of a starbolt caused the steel to heat and soften in his hands. The behemoth grunted in surprise as he looked over to see Starfire giggling at his misfortune, "Think fast!" Kylar called out as he threw the orb, before taking a knee.

The rock villain turned just in time to see the purplish-black orb collide with his face, sending _him_ skidding across the ground. With a snarl, the monster stood up and ran off down the corridor, heading deeper into the prison. Cyborg, still flat on his back, got up with a helping hand from Robin and dusted himself off.

"Want to give this guy the Sonic Boom?" Robin asked with a determined smirk.

"I got the Sonic if you got the Boom." Cyborg replied with a grin as he converted his right arm to sonic cannon mode. With a nod, the Boy Wonder and the metal teen charged off to follow the stone humanoid. The other four teammates regrouped before following in the same direction. "Yo Rockhead!" the cybernetic teen cried out to the villain as the duo approached him.

Cinderblock stopped dead in his tracks and turned around to find Robin and Cyborg running towards him. They peeled off to opposite sides and ran up the walls, then jumped towards each other as the Cyborgs' cannon warmed up. However, whatever they were planning to do went wrong, _badly_, as their feet intertwined mid-flight, leaving them spinning out of control in the air. When they finally parted, Cyborg crashed into a wall, causing his sonic cannon to go off and produce a blast of sound that engulfed Beast Boy and Starfire. Robin slammed against another wall; the disc in his hand sliding away and detonating at Raven and Kylar's feet, encasing the both of them in ice up to their waists.

Cinderblock was left completely unscathed by the fireworks and clumped away from the embarrassing sight the Titans were left in, smashing straight through one wall after another in his path. Prisoners began stepping out to look after the lumbering colossus passed by, then started sprinting out the same way he crashed through.

"Hey, hey, look at this!"

"It's freedom!"

"Let's do it! Let's get outta here!"

"Yeah!"

Various prisoners shouted out in excitement at their, possible, one chance to freedom. After the failed attack, Robin got back on his feet and rubbed his head; the commotion reached his ears from around the corner, and soon he noticed a throng of escaping prisoners charging straight towards him. With a sigh, he whipped out his fighting staff and extended it to full length. Starfire, Beast Boy, Raven, and Kylar had recovered from the damage of the failed combo as well and took a stand next to their leader. The five of them then charged the group of inmates as Beast Boy resumed his T-rex form to scare the ever-living crap out of the convicts.

0-0

Deeper inside the high-security correctional facility, a flashing red light was the only source of lighting in the darkened corridor. Loud footsteps could be heard rumbling towards a door with a sign that read '_Prisoner 385901-Absolute Silence_!' Cinderblock's shadow appeared over the sign before opening to reveal an extremely spacious cell; the only thing inside was a cylindrical glass tank of liquid that was suspended from the ceiling. Inside said tank was the figure of a man, floating erect and clad only in a pair of underwear. The man appeared to be very thin with a shaved head and asleep and snoring soundly. Without a second thought, Cinderblock ripped the entire tank away from the ceiling-mounted apparatus that held it: broken hoses spewing liquid and gases about the cell. The behemoth then punched a hole in the floor and jumped through it to make his escape, pulling the tank down after him. Even though the container got stuck briefly and then yanked forcibly through the hole, the man inside the tank did not so much as make a _stir_ in his sleep.

0-0

Just outside the entrance of the cellblock the Titans were fighting in to prevent a massive jailbreak, two prisoners were running out in a bid for freedom.

"Let's go! Let's go!" One prisoner yelled as they approached the exit.

"I think we're going to make it!" The other exclaimed.

"Yeah!"

The two convicts approached the smashed gate in the outer wall-which was then promptly closed when the pieces, covered in silhouetted black magic, flew back into the frame. The prisoners stopped in their tracks as they saw a swirling vortex form in front of the gate.

The vortex then receded to nothing as Raven floated in front of the barrier-repaired by her telekinesis. "Think again." She stated coldly. The two prisoners nervously backing away from the teen as she approached them.

0-0

Back inside the corridor, near the holes Cinderblock smashed through, guards kept watch as the prisoners returned to their cells, their arms shackled behind their backs.

"Jailbreak?" Beast Boy asked jokingly as he reunited with the rest of his team, "I don't see any jailbreak."

"_None_ of us would've seen one if _Cyborg_ hadn't messed up!" Robin pouted with crossed arms as he looked away from the group.

"_Me_?" The Cyborg asked angrily, a sight gag showing his head grow as he spoke, "I messed up nothing! _You_ got in my way!" He yelled with enough force to blow Robin's cape back. After he spoke, his head returned to normal size and he turned away from Robin, pouting in the same manner.

Robin turned back around, "_You_ were too far forward," Robin yelled as his head grew larger, "and Cinderblock got away because if it!" An angry little spark popped up on his temple as he yelled, then disappeared when his head deflated.

Cyborg turned back around to face the masked teen, "You saying this is _my_ fault?"

"Want me to say it _again_?" The two of them walked closer to each other, sparks flying between both pairs of eyes before Starfire popped up between them.

"Stop! No more mean talking!" She pleaded, always wanting to make the best peace between everyone on the team. Without another word, the two teens turned their backs to her and each other.

"Yeah, if you two are gonna fight, we need time to sell tickets." Beast Boy joked. Angry glares from the two arguing teens made him quickly back off as Raven then stepped up.

"Cinderblock escaped." The mage began, "No amount of yelling will change that. So stop acting like idiots, and let's go home." She finished with a sigh as she put her hood back up.

"Seriously guys, it's not the end of the world." Kylar added, trying to ease the already tense atmosphere, "We'll catch him next time."

Cyborg and Robin threw each other a disdainful glance at each other from over their shoulders. "Hmph!" Both teens grunted in unison; there respective exhalations were visible in the air.

As they began to stride away, they both made a scathing comment behind each other's backs.

"Loser."

"Jerk."

They both whirled around and faced each other, apparently having heard the remarks, "What did you say?!" They both demanded in unison as they marched towards one another, stopping when they come face-to-face again.

"Do you have a problem, Tin Man?" Robin asked in an angry tone.

"Yeah! It's four feet tall and smells like cheap hair gel!" Cyborg replied.

That last comment hit the Boy Wonder the wrong way as the two of them began arguing again. A sight gag showed the other four members becoming infants, with the pair's shadows thrown across them.

"Well, _you're_ an oversized klutz and your feet smell like motor oil!" Robin yelled. Baby Beast Boy began to cry as Baby Kylar crawled over to him and patted his back, trying to comfort him.

"You're bossy, you're rude, _and_ you got no taste in music!" Cyborg counted off on his fingers. The infants now returned to their proper ages as they watch the pair continue to argue.

"I don't even know _why_ you're on this team!" Robin growled as he turned away from the metal teen.

"That makes two of us. I _QUIT_!" The armored teen shouted. Those last two words left the rest of the group staring wide-eyed in total shock as Cyborg's hulking frame stalked away from them.

Robin hung his head while the other teens were left completely speechless as the complete shock of what just transpired loomed over the group.

0-0

Darkness. This could be the only word to describe the area where a shadowy figure was seated on a chair atop a raised platform. The sound of heavy machinery and gears turning were all the only things that echoed throughout the chamber. No features could be seen on this figure except the glint of full-body armor and one eye, the left eye. An overhead fixture poured light down on the seat. In the harsh glare, the right side of the head and shoulder showed a gray tint, while red-orange appeared on the other side.

The massive moving rock, known as Cinderblock, stomped into the light and placed the tank containing Prisoner 385901 on the floor. "Cinderblock. I see your mission was a success. Good." The figure spoke in a chilling, even, and measured tone, "We will proceed with Phase Two. Wake him." The figure ordered.

The behemoth strained to twist the metal cap on the top end of the tank before he managed to unscrew it, releasing a thick cloud of vapor. When the vapor cleared, the occupant began to stir from his slumber.

"I'm… awake?" The prisoner asked in a startled tone as he placed a hand against the glass, "I should never be awake! I'm only human when I'm sleeping!" The man in the glass began to panic.

"But for what I have in mind, your human form is useless." The figure stated as it leaned forward, "I need _Plasmus_."

Inside the glass, the man's form began to swell and distort, causing the glass to bulge and finally shatter. What came out of the glass prison was a mass of purplish slime that overwhelmed the nearby Cinderblock, accompanied by more fumes from the liquid inside. When the fumes dissipated, the overhead light had gone out and the ooze had formed itself into a very large, roughly shaped humanoid with an extremely wide mouth and two tiny yellowish eyes. This is the form taken by Prisoner 385901 whenever he is not asleep, now making the silence warning on his cell door abundantly clear.

The shadowy figure began laughing maniacally as Plasmus let off a screeching roar.

0-0

The next morning inside Titans Tower, ringing could be heard over a telephone line, followed by the click of the call being answered.

"This is Cyborg," A voice said over an answering machine, "I'm either in the gym, playing GameStation, or kicking bad-guy butt. Leave a message." The answering machine finished as a –_**beep**_- was heard over the line.

Inside the operations center, Starfire was in at the kitchen counter, Kylar was sitting at a desk with a bank of monitors, Raven was standing next to the wall pressing buttons on a wall screen, and Beast Boy was pacing with a cell phone in his hand, showing that he was the one who made the call. Robin was standing at the window, overlooking the bay.

"Hello? Cy? Pick up!" Beast Boy paused for a brief moment after talking into the phone, "Come on, Cy, _pick_ _up_!" He yelled as he paced behind Raven, "I know you're there. The phone's _built_ in your arm!" With a sigh, the green teen hung up as he sat down at the kitchen counter. He looked over to see that Starfire was mixing something in a bowl.

After she finished mixing, Starfire lifted a spoonful of glop from the bowl and held it in front of Beast Boy. "Taste." Without warning, the alien shoved the spoon into the poor boys mouth. The green-skinned teen was sent into convulsions, which ended with him on all fours and trying to keep from vomiting.

When he finally spit out the mess, he scrubbed frantically at his tongue with his gloved hand to remove the last fragments. "What _is_ that? Cream of toenails?" Beast Boy asked with tears in the corners of his eyes as he rubbed his throat.

"Pudding of Sadness." Starfire replied as she took a spoonful, her usual happy tone was completely missing from her voice due to the loss of her friend, "It is what the people of my planet eat when bad things happen." She finished as she ate her spoonful. This didn't seem to bode too well as the girl was suddenly on the verge of blowing her own chow. After a monster effort, however, she was able to down the concoction, but not without being sent into convulsions similar to Beast Boys'.

She then took the bowl and floated over to Kylar, who was typing incessantly on the keyboard as he watched the monitors, "AaaaaAAAAAHHH!" Kylar cried in a distraught tone as he rustled his hands through his hair, "He even turned off his tracking device." The brunette said before he slammed his head onto the desk.

"Friend Kylar," Starfire held out the bowl to the saddened brunette, "Have some. I know Cyborg's absence is affecting you very much."

Kylar sat up in his seat and grabbed the spoon, "Thanks, Star." He said as he lifted a glob of pudding into his mouth. He swished it a few times before chewing it and then swallowed it, "Lumpy _and_ sticky. Odd combination, but it's all right. Thanks." He gave the girl a smile as he placed the spoon back in the bowl before he continued typing on the keyboard.

Raven continued to check the wall monitors as Starfire brought her the bowl next. "Try. The displeasing taste will ease your troubled mind."

The mage turned to the auburn-haired teen, "My mind is never troubled. People come, people go. It's pointless to be upset about Cyborg." She stated flatly. Unbeknownst to the violet haired girl, her hair began flying wildly behind her head and the wall monitors began to crack.

One of the monitors at the desk Kylar was at suddenly blew out, sending smoke into his face, "Whoa." He coughed, "It's all right, I got it." He said as he ducked underneath the desk, disconnecting the wires.

Starfire stared with a wide-eyed expression at the mage. "What?" She asked evenly, unaware of the damage that just occurred.

Robin was still standing by the window, looking morosely out over Jump City Bay as Starfire flew to him with her horrid concoction. "Here, Robin." She held out the bowl to him, "You must need this most of all since… well…" She trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.

"I'm fine." He replied as he turned away from the girl, "Who knows? Maybe we're better off without him." He added as he walked further away from the concerned alien until he exited the Ops Center.

0-0

Inside the gym, Robin was punching a heavy bag with great vigor. He delivered one final roundhouse kick and slumped over, breathing heavily from the workout. Looking up, he saw his and Cyborg's weight benches-the latter equipped with the sort of giant barbells only that Titan could lift.

0-0

In the kitchen, Beast Boy hoisted a stack of dirty plates onto the counter by the sink, adding to an already large pile that was _inside_ said sink. "Yo! Whose turn to do dishes?" He called out.

"Cyborg." The masked teen responded. His answer caused the green Titan to cry out briefly in surprise like a monkey. Robin then went to the sink and started washing a plate when the monkey left the room.

0-0

Inside the Ops Center, Robin was sitting on the couch playing on the GameStation system, blasting enemy aircraft out of the sky on the screen that was projected onto the window as he played.

"Come on, come on… I'm not scared to take… no! Yeah! Got it! Just one more and… Yes!" He commented as he blasted the final enemy on screen. The screen flashed red and blue before showing the message '_Cyborg-1,000,000_,' "New high score!" Robin cheered as he replaced the name on the screen with his own, the score changing to 5,000,000. However, the Titan who set the new score was no longer elated at his achievement after he turned off the console.

0-0

The sun began setting over the horizon as inside Titans Tower, Robin was walking through the corridor as he headed towards his room. However, he stopped when he was in front of Cyborg's. After a brief moment, he opened the door and walked in. He looked around the room and saw a bookcase with pictures and a baseball on top, a computer desk with a football by the monitor, a trophy case in one rear corner, and areas for self-repair and diagnostics. A large inclined table with a footstep at its lower end was in the other rear corner-what the missing Titan used for a bed.

Robin walked over to the dresser and grabbed a picture that was placed on top. As he looked at it, he saw that it was a picture of the pair smiling with Cyborgs' hand on the spiky-haired teens' head, while he held up a peace sign. Robin closed his eyes, "I'm sorry." He apologized softly. However, he was soon snapped from his moping when the tower alarm shattered the silence. Running into the operations center, he saw Starfire, Beast Boy, Raven, and Kylar looking at a map of Jump City, which was currently being projected on the window screen, with a large flashing dot that slowly moved along.

"Cinderblock strikes again?" The Boy Wonder asked as he entered the room. The other teens shook their heads in response to his question.

"You wish." Beast Boy answered as he continued watching the flashing dot on the screen.

Kylar was hard at work trying to connect to the security feeds for the location the dot was on the map. "This is something… different. Something worse." He said in a cautious tone.

0-0

Inside a chemical factory, the sounds of loud hisses, grunts, and whines of heavy machinery echoed throughout the building. Inside, jets of colored solutions shot down from overhead nozzles that mixed together in pipelines that snaked across the factory floor. The mixture emerged from the other end into an awaiting barrel, next to three other already full barrels. From out of the shadows, a large, hulking mass of purple goo, referred to previously as Plasmus, trudged forward to reach the barrels. Once it was standing next to the toxic containers, the sludge monster picked up one after another and guzzled them in a few large gulps, growing a few feet with each barrel finished.

It then lifted another barrel, ready to down it just as it did the previous containers, but was interrupted when a glowing green orb struck the end of the barrel, spilling the remaining contents onto the ground. Plasmus peered through the barrel like a telescope and scanned the room to see who interrupted its meal. After a few seconds the humanoids eyes landed on the sight of five Titans standing on the other side of a hole in the wall the monster made earlier to enter the factory.

"That stuff _can't_ be good for you." Robin commented as he and the rest of the team stepped through the wall.

The monster threw the barrel aside before unleashing a _monstrous_ belch.

"Nice one!" Beast Boy laughed. Kylar and Raven shook their heads disapprovingly at the immaturity of the green Titan.

"_**GRAAAAAAAAH!**_" Plasmus released a deep roar before shooting gobbets of sludge from its body towards the heroes.

To avoid being covered by the oncoming muck, the teens scattered around the room. Robin was performing a multitude of jumps and flips, just barely staying ahead of the barrage. At the end of his last flip, the masked teen landed in a crouch on a crate near a mixing tank. "Star!" he called out, "Let him have it!"

With a nod, Starfire obliged with launching a starbolt at the villain. When the attack connected, it blew a hole clear through the creature's chest. "_*Gasp*_ Did I let him have too much?" She asked in a worried tone. Her question was answered when Plasmus sucked in a huge breath and the hole filled in, removing any damage taken.

"I'm thinking not _enough_." Beast Boy said as the monster balled its left hand into a fist. It then extended the gooey fist towards Starfire, who shrieked before Raven used her magic to pull the orange-skinned girl out of the way.

Robin reached for his belt and pulled a blue-colored disk, "Maybe he just needs to _chill_." He remarked before throwing his projectile, impacting the thing's arm, encasing everything up to the creature's shoulder in ice. Growling, Plasmus could only let loose a gross combination of gurgles as it smashed its frozen appendage against a pipe, the loose shards of ice scattering towards the masked teen.

As Robin jumped for cover, Beast Boy morphed into a pterodactyl and took to the air. Starfire and Kylar unleashed a barrage of green and purplish-black orbs of energy at the monster, driving it back a bit; smoke covering its line of sight. When the smoke cleared, Plasmus saw the pterodactyl executing several punching strikes with its talons, however, to the monsters credit, it was able to block the punches and retaliate by lashing out with many thick tentacles from the stump of its missing arm.

The three Titans stopped their attacks and dodged the streams of goo; Starfire and Kylar throwing energy orbs to fend off the sludge as Beast Boy did evasive maneuvers to avoid the mess.

As the three teens were busy with their swarms of plasma, Raven rose into the air, black orbs of magic surrounding her hands, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" She chanted as several barrels levitated into the air. The mage then pointed and launched the barrels towards the monster, the projectiles flying through the air like lead slugs The creature turned just in time for them to impact its chest cavity.

With a snarl, Plasmus regrew its missing limb and gathered its strength. With a forceful push, the creature sent the barrels right back at the blue-clad mage, but before they could hit her, Kylar flew across and pulled the mage safely from the path of the barrels.

With a flying leap, Robin attacked the monster with a high-jump kick, leading with his left leg, only to get stuck in the monsters' mire of a chest cavity. Not learning from the mistake, Robin followed up with another kick, and then a punch, only for both attacks to be just as ineffective as the first. "Come _on_! Let me go, you giant _zit_!" The spiky-haired teen commanded as he struggled to get free.

Plasmus stared down at the teens continued attempts to escape. However, his eyes went wide as he felt something behind him, "Robin, I apologize in advance." A voice came out from behind the monster. It turned its head to see the brunette behind him smiling evilly with his right fist stuck in its back.

Robin recognized the voice to be Kylar's, "What are you doing?" He called out as he continued to struggle against the muck.

Instead of an answer, Kylar encased his arm with his aura, "_Hrrraaaaaaaaah_!" The aura manipulator growled as the aura flowed into the creature. The next thing anyone knew, Plasmus started bubbling before it exploded, releasing a cascade of burgundy muck in every direction, sending the Boy Wonder and the brunette in opposite directions. The purple tide also struck Beast Boy, who had transformed back into his human form, and knocked him against the wall next to Kylar.

Dripping with the goo, Robin groaned as he stood up. "Robin!" Starfire called out as she rushed over to aid the team leader.

"I'm okay…" He said as he spit some of the ooze from his mouth with distaste, "sort of."

Across the room, Kylar was brushing the substance off his jacket as Beast Boy stood up, spitting some plasma out of his mouth before scrubbing his tongue with his gloved hand as tears flowed out of his eyes, "And I thought Star's _pudding_ tasted bad!" The green changeling cried.

"Well…" Kylar started as he removed the last of the slime from his body, "It definitely _smells_ worse."

The other teens glanced back to where Plasmus was before it exploded, streaks of slime spread everywhere across the ground, "Think we beat him?" Beast Boy asked.

Suddenly, the ooze began to move and merge back together in the center of the room. In a matter of seconds, the burgundy beast stood again, releasing a gurgled roar that echoed throughout the factory.

"I'm going to say, no." Raven answered in a dull tone.

0-0

Inside a darkened room, lit only by the light of a huge monitor, two silhouettes were watching the battle via security feed. One of the silhouettes was armored, muscular, and larger than the second, shorter one.

"Interesting," the larger, shadowy figure said coolly as a taller, blockier silhouette approached the two, "even with one Titan missing, this is proving to be quite entertaining." The armored shadow turned to face the two accompanying persons, "But playtime is over. Cinderblock." An overhead light shined down on the two other silhouettes, revealing the shorter shadow to be an elderly fellow, bald on top, and wearing a white suit and tie with a black shirt, and the taller to be the familiar looking stone behemoth. "Begin Phase Three." The armored figure ordered evenly.

With an answered grunt, Cinderblock stomped away, loud claps echoing throughout the room with each step.

0-0

Back inside the factory, a gush of Plasmus' muck was splattered against the ground. After a few seconds, Starfire stood up from within it.

"I feel like the underside of a Zornian muck beetle." The orange-skinned teen groaned disgustedly as she flicked some slime off her body.

Raven stood up from the pile of slime next to the alien, "Tell me about it." The mage grumbled as she began swatting the slime off her cloak.

Kylar and Beast Boy were fleeing from the burgundy slime creature as it was trying to swallow them with its' purple ooze. "Dude! I am _not_ on the menu! WAAAAH" The green Titan cried as it dodged a stream of the plasma shot at him.

Kylar quickly turned around, forming purplish-black aura in his left hand. In one swift motion, he swung his arm in an arc in front of him, releasing a curved blade of aura at the oncoming villain. When the attack connected, the blade sliced cleanly through the monster, cutting the monster in half causing it to collapse to the ground in two piles.

"Whoo!" Kylar cheered as he rubbed the hand he shot the energy from, "That…" The two separated parts formed back together a moment later; Plasmus showing no signs of damage, "didn't work?!" He cried before he rolled to the left to dodge another stream of purple slime.

Suddenly, one of Robins' birdarangs sailed around one of the monsters legs, a long line trailing behind the projectile. Robin then ran around the beast a few more times to fully tie up the monster. "Maybe the best way to take you down…" He grunted as he pulled mightily, the wire containing the beasts' movements, "is to tie you _up_!"

Thinking quickly, Beast Boy transformed into a rhinoceros and charged towards the restrained villain. Landing a direct hit, Plasmus was sent toppling backwards to fall among a group of support columns. Starfire and Raven then used their respective powers to bend other columns to pin the monster down. Kylar destroyed some overhead scaffolding for extra insurance.

As the monster struggled against its bonds, the other five teens inspected their handiwork.

"We did it!" Starfire cheered happily.

"Nice work, team." Robin congratulated with a smile as he folded his arms.

"Yeah." Beast Boy started, "Didn't think we'd pull it off without-" he cut himself off when he let out a surprised sheep-like bleat: the result of getting jabbed in the side by the team mage. He glanced over to see Kylar and Raven shaking their heads at him. "Eh heh, oops. Sorry." He chuckled nervously as a large sweat drop fell from the back of his head.

A beeping noise from Robin's communicator caught the teams' attention. Robin quickly checked the device, "We finished just in time. Cinderblock's been spotted downtown." He explained before tucking the device back in his belt, "Come on!" He beckoned to the rest of the team as he ran for the factory exit.

As the other members ran to catch up, a loud gurgling noise from the bound villain stopped Beast Boy, who looked back to inspect the sound. "Huh?" He noticed the monster began to ooze a bit under the girders that held it.

Its entire body then collapsed in on itself and slinked through the restraints, freeing itself in the process. Once the monster was free, from its ooze, it divided into five constructs; one was of it formed a head with spider-like legs as support, the second was a four legged beetle-looking form with a crab claw jutting out of its front, the third was in the form of an octopus-like creature with no face, the fourth was a crocodile-like jaw supported by six legs, and finally the fifth resembled that of a featureless snake.

"Uh…" Beast Boy groaned nervously, getting the other four Titans attention, "heads up." He said pointing to the group of five creatures.

The divided entities then scuttled towards the teens, all releasing gurgled clicking noises with each step of their feet clattering against the ground. Quickly bolting into the next room, the group slammed the double doors shut just in time, leaning against them with their entire weight, Robin and Kylar holding the left door closed, while Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy held the right door. Plasmus' snarling and pounding could be heard through the metal as it tried to break through.

"Five against five. Even odds." Beast Boy chuckled worriedly as he continued pushing against the door.

"Forget the odds. We need a plan!" Robin grunted as he too was using all his strength to keep the monster from breaking down the door.

Unfortunately, the door began to tremble even more violently under the constant abuse it was receiving from the slime entities. With one final bash, the doors were forced open partway, just enough to push a tendril out. Starfire screamed as the opening grew wider, giving more and more room for the head of the plasma villain to fit through.

"Titans! Separate!" Robin ordered. Immediately as the other members obeyed, the doors flew from their hinges. Robin, Kylar, Raven, Starfire, and Beast Boy all scattered in different directions among the machinery as the latter transformed into a cheetah to gain distance.

Plasmus' snake, having separated from the rest of the body, chased Starfire throughout the room. In a panic, the auburn-haired girl turned in midair and bombarded her opponent with a barrage of starbolts. However, this method of attack proved to be ineffective as the snake construct lunged at the girl and successfully wrapped itself around her, plucking her from the air.

Beast Boy, still as a cheetah, was sprinting along the floor of the factory as the section that resembled a beetle with a crab claw chased him. It seemed to the green changeling that he would've been able to take the creature on since he had the advantage of speed, but was taken by surprise when the crab claw opened and a long tongue lashed out, snaring him. He was able to break loose of the tongues hold by turning into a gorilla, but was then knocked off his feet by a flying tackle that came from the rest of the beetle's body.

Kylar was currently dealing with the spider head, weaving through pipes as the spider-like creature leaped from pipe to pipe in an effort to catch up to the brunette. He glanced back to see that the head was still in hot pursuit. "Don't you ever give up?" The black-jacketed aura manipulator asked in an annoyed tone as he came to a dead end. Looking around quickly, he noticed a large boiler next to him. With a wicked smile, he turned around to see the head of the monster land in front of him. "You seem tense." He said as the monster approached him. Without another word, Kylar formed aura around his right arm and swung down at a pipe next to him, breaking it and unleashing a highly pressurized stream of boiling hot water that hit the monster. "Why don't you cool off?" He said in an icy tone. The monster released a blood-curling screech as it began to melt, forming a puddle on the floor. As the puddle began slinking away, Kylar ran after it, now chasing _it_ in hot pursuit.

Meanwhile, Raven was flying along as the octopus was on the ground chasing her. Focusing her powers over all the machinery around her, she was able to cause the bolts and screws that held the machines together to fall out, causing the loosened vessels to topple into the aisle, one after another. Trying its best to avoid getting hit, the octopus monster swerved and slid through the falling debris, but finally succumbed to the attack when one piece of a conveyor fell and hit the monster broadside. Raven glanced back smugly at her work, only to be caught by surprise when she found that her opponent had recovered and placed itself directly in front of her. The mage only had time to release a shocked gasp before the octopus reared an attack.

The only one left to deal with a section was Robin, who kept going full steam among the other process equipment; the crocodile jaw creature was scuttling quickly behind him, determined to not let the masked hero get away. He noticed a set of double doors in his path and, without thinking, hurled himself through when he reached them. As he stood up, Robin found himself in a darkened room, with only a lurid green glow that rose from below as the only source of light. Before he could determine what the glow was, he lost his footing as the ground beneath him started to move. He looked down to see that what was moving was a conveyor belt, and the glowing green light came from several large vats of chemicals.

The crocodile jaw landed behind him and readied itself for a strike. Robin quickly did a back handspring to avoid the attack. Once he landed, he snapped his bo-staff out and delivered several blows that merely splattered through the purple goo. Not being fazed by the apparent onslaught, the jaw monster blocked the next attack, and lunged forward, knocking Robin off his feet, separating the hero from his weapon as it flew down into one of the vats below. Getting back up and taking a stance in a classic kung fu pose, Robin took a few steps back before lunging towards his opponent for a high kick.

0-0

Back with the rest of the team, Starfire was still struggling to escape from the bind that was Plasmus' snake portion. As she struggled, the snake wrapped a coil around her head and squeezed itself together into a large ball. Luckily, the alien was able to burst out of its grasp after a moment, spreading the snake all around her. She looked up to see Beast Boy, back in human form, and Raven bound by their respective captors body parts. Looking down, the Tamaranean teenager saw the snake reform at her feet and lunge at her, only for it to explode and spread all around the room. What followed were the explosions of the beetle and octopus monsters. Confused, Starfire turned around to see Kylar land behind her with a determined smile. With a nod, they both rushed over to help Beast Boy and Raven off the ground.

Kylar ran over and offered a hand to the green teen, "Thanks for the save," Beast Boy said as he took the brunettes hand and stood up, "You think it's over now?"

The splattered ooze began to form back into the original being as Starfire and Raven reunited with the male teens, "Beast Boy," Kylar said as Plasmus regained its original form and released a gurgled shriek, "Please stop talking."

0-0

It all seemed hopeless for the Boy Wonder. He was currently backing away from his advancing opponent, but found himself without anywhere else to go. Before he knew it, the jaw monster lunged towards him and landed on top of him, effectively pinning the teen to the belt's surface. As he struggled to get free, he noticed the end of the conveyor belt was approaching quickly. As the two fell partway over, Robin smiled wickedly before flipping the jaw monster off the precipice; however, he miscalculated the timing and had to grab the corner of the conveyor belt to keep from following his opponents' example. As he was about to pull himself up, he was surprised by a sudden forceful pull from underneath. He looked down to see that the monster had seized hold of his left boot and was pulling down, trying to take the Boy Wonder with it into the vat. Robin strained as best he could with his one-handed grip, but the power of the slime proved to be too much for the teen to handle as his fingers slid away from the belt, leaving him plummeting toward the last bath he would ever take.

As if through divine intervention, a familiar bionic arm shot down and grabbed the masked teens' wrist. After having been pulled back onto the conveyor, Robin was desperately trying to catch his breath, believing that his time on Earth was going to end. He glanced down at the vat of chemicals to see the sludgy apparition dissolving harmlessly after having fallen in. Turning back around, Robin saw that his savior was the very same person he had driven from the team, Cyborg.

"I still got the Sonic if you still got the Boom." The metallic teen said with a determined smile as he transformed his right hand into his sonic cannon.

Robin returned the smile with the same determination, showing that the feud between the two had finally ended.

0-0

On the factory floor, Starfire and Raven were flying through the air, throwing anything they could at the burgundy creature, the creature showing no signs of damage as it shrugged off attack after attack. Beast Boy and Kylar were dodging more streams of slime, the latter launching orbs of energy between heavy breaths.

"Dude! We've tried everything!" Beast Boy cried as he barely dodged another oncoming attack. "We're doomed!"

Kylar glanced over his shoulder, "Maybe not everything." Beast Boy gave the brunette a confused look, "Look!" The black-jacketed teen pointed to his left.

The other three teens looked over in the direction Kylar pointed to see that not only Robin came back to fight, but Cyborg had returned as well.

"Teen Titans! GO!" The masked and cybernetic teens shouted as they charged Plasmus. Going into the same attack formation they used while attacking Cinderblock, Robin and Cyborg peeled off in opposite directions and ran up the walls. This time, however, they did not get tangled in midair, giving Robin the opportunity to hurl an explosive disc while Cyborg fired his cannon. The combined effect of the two weapons had enough force in it to blow Plasmus apart into small puddles of gunk; when the smoke cleared, the teens were greeted with the sight of a very thin looking man in nothing but his underwear dozing among the slop and snoring fitfully.

"_Why didn't that work when _I_ blew him up_." Kylar thought as he tried to catch his breath. The constant use of his powers during the fight began to takes its toll.

The six Titans, finally reunited, surrounded the sleeping man and looked at him in confusion. "_This_ is the guy who caused us so much trouble?" Beast Boy asked as he crouched next to the frail man.

0-0

After the fight, the special division of Jump City's science and police departments arrived at the chemical plant, applying a solvent to dissolve a majority of Plasmus' body from the factory's machinery and any slime that remained on the team, while collecting any remaining samples from the creature for future study. After being hauled off in a new, sound-proof glass cylinder with metal casing ends, Robin and Cyborg were standing off to the side, not really saying anything before the shorter of the two spoke up.

"Look, uh…" Robin hesitated to speak, "sorry about…"

"Yeah." Cyborg cut the spiky-haired teen off, knowing what he wanted to say.

"So… are we cool?"

Cyborg smiled before holding out a fist, "Frosty." Robin smiled as he lifted a fist and tapped his teammates.

"You made up! Glorious!" Starfire exclaimed happily, "I wish to initiate a group hug." She added as she laced her fingers together.

Kylar quickly slid away from the super powered alien girl, not wanting to have his spine shattered today. "Pass…" Raven sighed, causing the orange-skinned teen to deflate slightly.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, warm fuzzies all around. But we still gotta stop Cinderblock." Beast Boy reminded the rest of the team.

"No, we don't." Cyborg returned, earning a confused look from the others. "Thought I'd bring a present, in case you were still mad," He added as he gestured behind his shoulder. The other five Titans looked over to see Cinderblock being hoisted up by a winch, bound in something that resembled that of Cyborgs laser cannon. The stone villain grumbled angrily as it struggled to break free of its restraints.

"Thanks. But there _is_ still one thing that's bothering me," Robin said. The others shot their leader a look of confusion, all in disbelief that anything could be bothering their leader at this point. "Breaking into jail? Using Plasmus to distract us? The whole plan seems to be a little too smart for Cinderblock."

"I've been thinking the same thing." Cyborg returned, Starfire and Beast Boy sighing visibly to show their relief knowing that there was no immediate danger.

"Someone must've been pulling the strings, but who?" Robin wondered as he place his hand on his chin.

"Well whoever they are, they're no match for the Teen Titans." Cyborg said as he raised his hand.

"I hear that," Robin said bringing his hand to meet the metallic teens own.

Kylar walked up to the two teens and place an arm around both of their shoulders, "So the gangs back together again!" He said with a happy smile, "What say we celebrate this occasion with some pizza? My treat."

With smiles, and a very toothy grin from Beast Boy, the six teammates left the area to celebrate the Cyborg's return.

0-0

Inside a darkened room, with only the occasional spotlight to illuminate the infinite darkness, the armored, muscular figure slammed a fist onto the desk in front of him, clearly angered by the disruption of his plans. A cup of tea and saucer that were already placed on the desk shattered as the force of the impact knocked them off. A pair of white-gloved hands reached down with a small broom and dustpan to sweep up the pieces. Stepping into the light, it revealed the elderly gentleman from before as he placed a replacement cup on the arm of his employer's chair.

"Next time my plans _will_ succeed." The shadowy figure stated, despite having just lashed out, his voice retained its control, "And the Titans will _pay_."

* * *

**_One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood._**

**_-Lucius Annaeus Seneca_**

**Author's Notes:**

**Hello again, my beautiful readers from the Galactic Network. **

**Thank you all for taking the time to read this new story that I have been writing. I know it may not seem like much now, but as the chapters keep going, it will get better and better... I hope.**

**For those of you who have come to read everything, even the Author's Notes, thank you so much for giving this a chance, I hope I was able to keep you entertained long enough to finish reading it. If not, I apologize. For those who don't read the Author's Notes, putting sugar on a wound or cut will greatly reduce pain and speed up the healing process.**

**I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Make sure to write a review if you want to... or don't. I don't care. PM me if you have any questions or suggestions. I'd love to hear them.**

**Until next time, See You Space Cowboys**

**Disclaimer: I do not know anything from the DC Universe, nor do I own anything from Teen Titans. Also, any other references made in the chapter belong to their respective owners.**


	4. Sisters

Space, the infinite void that exists between celestial bodies; while not completely empty, it does consist of a hard vacuum containing a low density of particles. Shooting through the vast darkness, a distant flash from which four glowing objects flew through the cosmos. In the distance, the habitable planet known as Earth could be seen. As the four objects flew past, three of the objects continued on their path while one lone stream of light broke away from the group and headed straight through the planets atmosphere.

0-0

As a full moon shined brightly over Jump City, one could see that the carnival had come to visit and was currently set up on the city boardwalk that cast into the bay from the waterfront. The teenage superheroes, along with hundreds of other citizens of Jump, were convinced that a little break was exactly what they needed after the who Plasmus fiasco. The carnival had what every carnival came with: a Ferris wheel, roller coaster, and booth games. You know, the usual. Robin and Starfire were sitting in one of the giant wheel's cars as a fireworks show began lighting up the night sky in brilliant green, blue, and red.

"Beautiful." The auburn haired teen sighed blissfully as she watched the pyrotechnics in complete awe, "Tell me again what they are called."

"Fireworks." Robin told her as more multicolored rockets exploded over the bay.

The last explosion unleashed a larger blast than the previous. This caused the Tamaranean to flinch in concern, "On my planet, such explosions would mean the Gordanians were attacking. You are certain Earth is not under attack?"

"Positive." Robin said reassuringly, "Cotton candy?" he asked as he held up a large puff of pink stuff on a cone to her.

"The last time I ate a ball of cotton, it was white. And it did not taste very-"

"This is different." Robin reassured her as he pulled off a wad from the ball and popped it into his mouth.

Cautiously, Starfire followed suit as she placed a small wad of the pink substance into her mouth. She smiled with delight when she realized that this cotton was different from the cotton she ate back at the Tower. "Mmmm… Eeep! It vanished!" The orange-skinned alien yelped in surprise as she held up her hand to her mouth.

"Yeah. It'll do that." Robin chuckled as he found his teammates surprise endearing. More fireworks lit up the sky in the distance as they both Titans turned to face the display.

"When I first came to this planet, I did not think I would ever fit in." Starfire sighed, relaxing as she enjoyed the time she was spending with the spiky-haired teen, "Earth was full of strange things." She turned to face the black-haired Titan, who turned to look at her, "But now I see that-"

A large glare from the fireworks cut the alien off; catching Robins' attention as he turned to face the bay again, "Here comes the finale! Yes!" He cheered as the display turned into a fusillade of redoubled intensity in the sky. "Whoo-hoo-hoo! Amazing!"

Starfire smiled sincerely at her teammates enthusiasm, "Earth is full of amazing things too." She finished her previous statement as she turned to face the sky as well.

"Best planet I've ever been to." Robin said with a smile.

The two teens enjoyed watching the pyrotechnics display together, but the moment was ruined when a pink and black mechanical missile-shaped creature with four protruding tentacles swept past the Ferris wheel and yanked Starfire from her seat in its tentacles; the orange-skinned teen screamed in surprise.

"STARFIRE!" Robin shouted as he stood up from his seat as the missile shot further and further from the carnival.

0-0

The octopus-missile craft continued flying higher and higher through the atmosphere as Starfire struggled against the hold on her.

"Wherever you are taking me, I do _not_ wish to go!" She stated. In an act of desperation, the teen captive fired a starbolt at the tentacles' base, causing the craft to stop in midair. As the craft crackled all over with the energy of the shot, Starfire took this opportunity to extricate herself from the hold she was in and flew back towards the carnival.

When the missile regained its senses, it scanned the sky to see its target gaining distance. In a quick flash, the craft turned and shot in Starfires direction, intent on not letting her escape.

0-0

Back on the boardwalk, Beast Boy and Cyborg were standing in front of a carnival game booth counter, each with a few plastic rings in hand, rows of bottles set up in a square in front of them. Cyborg tossed his remaining rings at the bottles, bouncing off the necks of bottles. Beast Boy tossed his last ring at a bottle, the sound of a –_**cling**_- ringing through the air as the projectile rattled down on the neck of a bottle.

"Boo-yah!" Cyborg whooped as he held up his hand.

"Sweet!" Beast Boy cheered with a toothy grin as he traded a high-five with the larger, metallic teen. Beast Boy turned to the teller and pointed to the largest prize in the booth, a huge stuffed chicken.

As the two males walked away from the booth, they noticed Kylar and Raven standing next to a post and ran up to join them. The gray-skinned mage was holding a hotdog in her left hand and a plum of blue cotton candy in her right. The brunette was holding a plate of funnel cake in both hands.

"Hah!" Beast Boy cheered as he and Cyborg approached the other two teens, "Told you we'd win a prize." He gloated as he held the stuffed chicken in front of Kylar and Raven.

"Yep, you sure did." Kylar said as he handed Cyborg the funnel cake in his left hand, who promptly took a bite of the food, "Just make sure you don't choke it in public." He said as an off-hand comment.

The last comment caused Cyborg to choke on his food as Raven quickly turned away from the trio of boys. "Wha! W-Wait… NO!" Beast Boy stuttered as he quickly tossed the stuffed chicken far from him. Kylar chuckled at the smaller green teens embarrassment.

After Beast Boy got rid of the stuffed poultry, Robin landed next to the group in a crouch, "Titans! Trouble!" He called out as he stood up. The rest of the group turned to face him.

Cyborg looked around as if looking for someone, "Where's Starfire?" He asked.

"That's the trouble." Robin returned as he motioned for the rest of the group to follow him.

After throwing the food away, the other four members ran off. When they reached the end of the pier, the four of them looked over the bay and saw a scintillating object plummeting straight towards the waves. As the object got closer, the teens were able to discern Starfires' form as she pulled up sharply to skim the surface of the water, causing a broad wake to splash up behind her. She looked back and gasped as she noticed the missile-like craft hot on her tail. She quickly turned onto her back and threw a couple of starbolts, only for them to have no effect.

"No more chasing now, please!" She pleaded as she dodged more lashing tentacles. The alien teen angled herself toward the pier again and flew neatly over the other five Titans; the pursuer did likewise.

"Who's her new best friend?" Beast Boy asked jokingly as the two flyers passed by.

"Don't know," Robin said as he socked his right fist against his left palm, "but I can't wait to meet him."

The teens glanced back in the direction where the chase led. Starfire looped around the Ferris wheel and then back to the pier, where she landed behind the rest of the team, the craft approaching them quickly.

Beast Boy was the first to attack, leaping high and turning into an alligator to bite at the tentacles' bases, only to barely miss as it flew past him. Raven levitated a nearby hot dog cart and heaved it at the oncoming vehicle, only for that to be ineffective as well as it crashed right through.

When the thing tried to race past Cyborg and Kylar, they both grabbed the tentacles, the latter surrounding his arms with energy, and hauled on them with all their strength. "Don't know what you did to make this thing mad Star, but it couldn't _hurt_ to apologize!" The cyborg grunted as the force of the foreign craft was dragging him and the brunette forward.

"I am… sorry?" She asked, more as a statement, still trying to find the reason why the thing would be chasing her.

The tentacles were finally able to yank themselves from the two teens grips and the craft continued on its path to its target. Robin, reacting quickly to protect his friend, whipped out his staff, extended it, and went on the offensive when he leaped at the machine. Swinging mightily at the front of the craft that reverberated throughout its entire form, Robin was able to drive it back. It tumbled over the guardrails as it skidded across the boardwalk. The rest of the team followed it and looked down just as it splashed in the water.

"So, did we just win?" Beast Boy, back in his human form, asked in a bewildered tone.

As if right on queue, the enemy craft crashed through the planks at the Titans' feet with no noticeable damage inflicted. "Nope." Kylar deadpanned as the rest of the team scattered to avoid oncoming attacks from their enemy.

Robin vaulted onto the front end of the missile-craft, "Don't see an OFF switch. Guess we need to make one." Kylar landed next to him a moment later, "Think you can break it?"

Kylar shot a determined grin at the masked teen as he narrowed his eyes, "Let's find out." He formed his purplish-black energy around his right arm as he brought it down on the machines surface, promptly punching a hole, exposing the wiring underneath. "You're turn!" The brunette called out as he quickly leaped away from the machine as a tentacle whipped past, trying to flick him off.

With a nod, Robin got to work and pulled out a handful of wiring from the hole. Sparks flew from the broken connection as he jumped away. The craft started veering uncontrollably in every direction as it rose higher and higher towards the stratosphere until it finally exploded in a mighty conflagration among the fireworks that were still going off.

Robin landed next to Starfire as they watched the explosion fade in the distance, "Whatever that thing was, it can't hurt you now." He put a hand on her shoulder to comfort the girl.

"But… why did it wish to hurt me at all?" She asked in a worried tone.

0-0

After the events that happened at the boardwalk, the Titans figured that _now_ would be the best time to head back to the Tower for some well deserved rest. As the doors to the operations center opened, Starfire, positively ecstatic, was the first to enter, while her teammates stood at the doorway.

"Come, friends," she said happily, a sight gag showing flowers floating around her head, bathing her in light, "I shall thank you for my rescue by reciting the Poem of Gratitude. All six thousand verses."

After she mentioned just how long the poem was, the other teens, now inside the Ops Center, stared at her with a wide-eyed expression. However, this didn't surprise them nearly as what followed.

"I see you haven't changed a bit." A young, female voice said from behind the team. The voice sounded a bit cocky in tone, but very smooth. The team turned to face where the voice came from and saw a teenage girl, similar in appearance to Starfire, leaning against the back of the couch. Her clothing was black rather than violet. Her hair was in the same color as the clothes she wore, her eyes were narrow and blue, and she was wearing metallic, full-body armor beneath her clothes. "When we were little, _I_ was always rescuing Starfire." The girl said as she pushed off the couch and walked towards the group.

"Sister!" Starfire squealed in delight as she flew up and hugged the pallet swapped version of herself, who laughed as she returned the hug.

When the two separated, the black-haired girl held up a necklace with a large green gem, "Brought you a present."

"A Centauri moon diamond?!" Starfire gasped deeply as her eyes went wide at the sight of the gem. "Where did you get-"

"On the Centauri moons, of course." Her sister replied as she fastened the jewelry around Starfire's neck, "Oh, look, it matches your eyes." She complemented as she took a step back.

The complement caused the recipient to beam for a moment, before grabbing her black-haired sisters wrists, "You _must_ meet my friends!" Starfire said ecstatically as she yanked her across the operations center. When they reached the other five teens in the room, the auburn-haired alien said, "I wish to introduce my sister-"

"Blackfire." The other orange-skinned teen said as she stepped forward, surprising Starfire with her boldness. "And since Star told me _all_ about the Titans in her transmissions, let me guess." She said as she brought a hand up to her chin, "Cyborg." She said as she pointed to the metallic teen.

"Pleased to meet you, little lady." The larger teen said, holding out a hand for her to shake. Blackfire grabbed his hand; a loud grinding of metal rang throughout the room as she squeezed it. After letting go, Cyborg found his fingers were temporarily out of alignment, "Little lady, _big_ handshake." He commented as he rubbed his hand, "Well, all right."

Blackfire chuckled as she went to the next Titan, "Raven. I like that gemstone on your Ajna chakra." She said, addressing the red gemstone on the gray-skinned mages forehead.

"You… know about chakras?" Raven asked, impressed at the visitors' knowledge of meditation.

"I got _way_ into meditation on Altara Prime." Blackfire answered as she turned to the green teen. "Beast Boy, what's up?"

"Nothin' but the ceiling, baby." He quipped as he pointed his hands at the taller teen in a gun fashion.

"Ah haha. Good one!" Blackfire laughed as she moved to the next Titan.

"See?" Beast Boy said as he turned to Raven, "_She_ thinks I'm funny."

"Statistically, I suppose _someone_ has to." Raven returned in a flat tone, deflating the changelings' ego.

"Kylar, my sister tells me you have some _very _interesting abilities." She said as she approached the brunette, who seemed to be roughly the same height as her.

"I am humbled, oh Queen of the Night Tulips." He said with a bow, "Perhaps I could _show_ you them sometime."

"My, my." She said with a smirk as Kylar straightened himself, "Quite the charmer, aren't you? I'll have to take you up on that offer." The black-jacketed teen returned the smirk to the girl. "And _you_ must be Robin." She said before zipping behind him and fingering his cape, "Oh, I am loving this cape. It's positively luscious!"

"Thanks. It's a high-density polymerized titanium, ten times stronger than steel." The spiky-haired teen explained.

"Fascinating." She awed, Robin directing an appreciative glance over his shoulder at the girl. She zipped back in front of the shorter teen and leaned closer, "And this _mask_ makes you look _very_ mysterious."

Starfire gasped as her older sister got closer to Robin, "So, beloved sister," The auburn-haired teen interjected, placing herself between her sibling and teammate, "What brings you to Earth?"

Blackfire backed away and walked towards the couch, "I was in the quadrant. Thought I'd see if Earthlings like to party." She explained as she hopped over the back and sat down, "Besides, I needed a rest. Nearly got sucked into a black hole on the way here."

At this comment, the four boys zipped to the couch in the blink of an eye, leaving Raven by herself at the kitchen counter.

"Black hole?"

"Whoa!"

"No way!"

"Cool!"

The four male teens voiced their excitement, eagerly waiting for an explanation from the visiting alien.

Blackfire smirked at the attention she was getting, "Okay, so I'm cruising through the Draconis Nebula, and-"

"Sister! That nebula is full of black holes! You know travel there is _forbidden_!" Starfire voiced, cutting her sisters' explanation off. The remark was met with dead silence, except for a cricket chirping, and confused looks from the five at the couch.

"Most fun things in life are." Blackfire returned, "Now be a sweetie and bring me one of those _sodas_ I've heard so much about." She said as she waved off her sister before turning back to the boys. "So anyway, I'm zooming over an event horizon, approaching light speed, when all of a sudden-"

As Blackfire continued her story, Starfire walked towards the kitchen, grumbling all the way as she opened the fridge, revealing the inside to be an under-the-counter model. She reached in and pulled out a can labeled **soda**, "I see _you_ have not changed either." She said in a disgruntled tone to herself.

0-0

Floating through the cosmos, what looks to be a prison ship was traveling around a planet. On the outside, three bright streaks of light flash towards the large hovering vessel. Once they reached the ship, the objects revealed to be duplicates of the craft that the Titans fought at the pier and placed themselves in a row of four docking tubes, only one space open, indicating a missing craft.

Two crustaceous looking crewmen were silhouetted in the shadows next in what appeared to be the cockpit of the prison vessel, "Our target was not located." One crewman said in a deep pitch, "The drones have failed."

"Have they?" The second crewman inquired as he reached for a panel that showed the status of the docking tubes. The crewman extended one clawed hand and pressed on the tube with the missing craft, a view of Earth appeared on the panel, "The one that probed Earth did not return. _That_ is where we will find the girl."

With a nod, the first crewman turned to the ships controls and began typing the coordinates for their destination.

0-0

The next day at Titans Tower, the team found the time to just relax and try to be hospitable to their guest. With what happened the night before, they were glad that there were no acts of crime going on in the city.

Inside the main corridor of the Tower, Starfire, still wearing the necklace, was walking towards one of the guest rooms that the Tower was equipped with, "Sister?" She called as she opened a door, only to find no one inside. "Sister?" She called again as she looked around a bit more. "Sister, I seek your companionship." Coming to the Ops Center, she entered to see Beast Boy and Cyborg using the holographic screen on the window to play a racing game. On the screen were two vehicles, one green and one white, speeding along a twisting elevated track.

"You want to pass me, but you can't pass me." Cyborg said as he and the green teen were seated on the couch. Using the white car to block his opponent, Cyborg was in the lead at the moment, "You can't pa-" Suddenly the green car cut in front of the white car, "You passed me!" Cyborg shouted in surprise.

"Tighten the turn… jets… and _nitro_!" Beast Boy grinned as his car pulled in front and crossed the finish line before the white car. As the screen flashed the words _'Player 2 Wins'_ Beast Boy jumped up and did a victory dance as Cyborg slumped over, only for the two to rematch a second later.

Starfire flew behind the two, "Tell me, have either of you seen Blackfire?" She asked once she reached her two teammates.

"Blazin' B?" Beast Boy asked as he continued focusing on the game, "She was here just a second ago." His face went slack as Cyborg grinned, the reason being that the white car knocked the green car off the tracks.

"Aw, yeah! Back in the lead!" Cyborg cheered as his car pulled ahead.

"What fun!" Starfire exclaimed, interlocking her hands together, "May I join your game?"

"Winner plays Blackfire." Cyborg stated, still focused on the game.

"Yeah." Beast Boy added as his eyes filled with hearts, "She rules at this game."

"I see…" Starfire said in a dejected tone as she walked out of the Ops Center.

0-0

Starfire continued her search as she walked through the corridor outside the common area. She approached a door and knocked on it. It opened a small amount to reveal Raven peering out. "Is… my sister in there?" Starfire asked cautiously, probably already knowing the answer since Raven doesn't let _anyone_ in her room.

"No." The mage stated evenly.

"Oh… Might you wish to hang out with me? We could visit your favorite depressing café."

"Already been. It was open mic and Blackfire wanted to share. Your sister's poetry is surprisingly dark." With that, Raven shut her door, leaving the orange-skinned alien with her head hanging dejectedly as she walked away.

As she walked, she bumped into Kylar, who was rubbing the back of his neck. "Friend Kylar!" She said happily, "Perhaps you would like to spend time together?"

Kylar looked at her and gave her a smile, "Sure, I'd love to hang out with you." He replied. Starfire grew a bright smile on her face at the words, only for it to disappear at the next sentence, "As soon as I take a quick rest; your sister really wore me out. I had no idea she was so _flexible_." He said as he began walking towards the Ops Center. The sound of cracks rang through the corridor as Kylar tilted his head to the sides. With a sigh, the alien Titan continued her search for her older sister.

0-0

Further inside the Tower, Starfire walked out of the elevator and saw that the door to the gym was open. From outside, she could see the shadows of Blackfire and Robin on the wall, close enough to touch.

"That's perfect, Robin." Starfire heard her sister say from inside the gym, "Hold me just like that, and…" The little sister gasped sharply before flying to the entrance of the gym, where she saw her sister throw the masked teen the full width of the room, who promptly crashed into a rack of dumbbells. "Learned that move from a Ven-Zo master on Tyrus Three." She said as Robin peeled himself off the floor, badly dazed from the impact.

"Hello, Robin… and… my sister." Starfire said as she entered the gym. The two other teens turned to face her, "Am I interrupting?"

"Not at all. Blackfire was just showing me some alien martial arts." Robin said with a smile as his senses returned, "How come you never taught me these cool moves?" Starfire nervously rubbed her left arm with her right hand as she glanced away from the duo.

"Probably because she doesn't know them. I always _was_ the better fighter." Blackfire explained before grabbing the spiky-haired Titan and leading him away, "Come on. I'll show you the technique I once used to stop a raging orthax."

The little sister stared bug-eyed after them for a moment before hanging her head sadly as they left the gym.

0-0

Inside the Main Operations Room, all the Titans except Starfire were lounging on the couch, facing the holographic screen. Kylar had his legs extended and resting on the table and Raven was reading a book. Outside, they could see the sun setting in the distance. A moment later, Starfire entered the living room with a large stack of DVDs, popcorn, and snacks piled high in her hands.

"Friends!" The orange-skinned Titan cheered as she approached the rest of the team, still balancing the objects in her hands perfectly, "I invite you to join me in the togetherness of a stay-home movie night. I bring you popcorn and non-cotton candies. Tell me, what sort of movie shall we view?"

"Action."

"Comedy."

"Fantasy."

"Sci-Fi."

"Horror."

All the Titans responded. Completely caught off guard by the information, Starfire dropped her load of goodies. "Perhaps a double feature?" She asked nervously as a large sweat drop fell down the side of her head.

"Forget the flicks, kids." The Titans heard a voice call out behind them. They all turned around to see Blackfire enter the Ops Center, dressed in one of Starfire's spare outfits without the metal armor underneath, "We're going out!"

"We are?" Starfire asked in a puzzled tone. "Where did you-? Are those my-?" Starfire began asking her sister as she walked by her.

Ignoring her sister, Blackfire approached the couch, "Heard about a party downtown. Cool crowd, hot music." This caught the boys' attention.

"Yeah!"

"All right."

"I'm in."

"Why not?" The boys' voiced in agreement to the plan. Raven on the other hand paid no attention as she continued reading her book.

"_And_ it's in a creepy run-down warehouse." Blackfire added. _This_ grabbed the mages' attention and one by one, Starfire's comrades got up and filed past her.

"Whoo!" Cyborg cheered as he walked by.

"_I _am a party _animal_." Beast Boy stated before he turned into a gorilla and walked out of the room.

Robin, Kylar, and Raven passed by without saying anything before they exited the room.

The last one to leave was Blackfire, "Hey, sweetie, raided your closet. Hope you don't mind me borrowing your look." She said before flying out of the room.

"Why not?" Starfire sighed sadly, dropping her head, "You have already borrowed my friends." She looked around her to see the scattered remains of her plan to spend time with her comrades.

0-0

Nighttime in Jump City at the creepy run-down warehouse Blackfire mentioned, a long line of partygoers were standing outside, trying to get in. A techno house dance beat could be heard from outside the building while multicolored pink and blue lights pulsed to the music inside.

Inside the creepy structure, the black-haired beauty made her way among the crowd as she led all the Titans, except Starfire and Kylar, who followed behind her. Beast Boy was back in his human form since the guard at the front enforced there was no admittance to animals inside the building.

"Step aside, Earthlings, the queen of the galaxy has arrived!" Blackfire ordered, as the crowd seemed to part around her like she owned the place.

As the rest of the group followed the confident orange-skinned alien, Raven glanced behind them and saw Starfire standing at a distance.

"Oh… excuse… oh… uh…" Starfire apologized shyly as she moved hesitantly through the dancers, getting jostled back and forth as she walked. Someone walked past her and stepped on her foot, "Ow! You really should apologize after stepping on someone's foot."

Raven shook her head at the sight of her orange teammate before turning around and moving further into the crowd.

0-0

Deeper inside the warehouse, Blackfire was already dancing to the beat. The other Titans who were accompanying her just watched as she flowed with the music.

"Now don't tell me you big tough superheroes are afraid of a little dancing." The black haired alien laughed as she turned to see the boys just standing in the center of the dance floor.

"Betcha Cyborg can do the Robot." Beast Boy commented as he did a little bit of the old dance. This action got the green teen a _very_ unappreciative glare from the big bionic man who was standing next to him. Blackfire began dancing across from the pair again. The action was apparently contagious since Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Robin started getting into the spirit of things shortly after.

Raven and Starfire were watching the boys move to the beat, the blue-clad mage holding her traditional bored look, "This party is pointless." She said evenly.

A Goth-looking boy walked up and stood next to her, "Everything's pointless. Wanna go talk about it?"

With a quick glance to the side and a shrug, both Goths walked away and left the orange-skinned teen by herself. She was about to follow them, but was stopped when a couple of slacker looking teens wearing cut jeans and ragged button up flannel shirts cut in front of her.

"Hey, hot alien girl. You digging this scene?" One of the slackers asked, as the duo looked the Titan over.

Starfire began blushing in embarrassment at not understanding the question, "I… did not know we were supposed to bring shovels."

The two slackers began laughing themselves silly at the comment, causing Starfire to feel even more uncomfortable. Just as the slackers came down from their laugh attack, two hands appeared at the sides of their heads and knocked them together, effectively dropping the two to the ground.

When the slackers fell from view, Starfire looked up to see Kylar standing in front of her, giving her a friendly smile, "Man, I thought those two would _never_ shut up." He said as he stepped over them.

"Friend Kylar, why are you not with my sister and the others?" The auburn-haired teen asked sadly.

Kylar chuckled nervously before answering, "I _may_ have gotten lost in the crowd," He joked as he scratched the back of his head. He noticed that his orange-skinned teammate was looking down, sadly. "_You're_ not having a good time."

"Of course, I am having fun." Starfire lied with a smile as she picked her head up.

The brunette gave her a bored look and raised his left eyebrow, "_Sure_." He put both hands on her shoulders and turned her around, "C'mon, I'll go get you a drink." He pushed the alien teen forward before she could protest.

0-0

Outside of Earth's atmosphere, the alien prison ship from before softly drifted above the planet's orbit. Inside the bridge of the ship, two silhouetted, crustacean looking extraterrestrials were watching the planet on what looked to be a screen that projected on the front window.

"The girl may have defeated one probe," One of the silhouettes said as its clawed hand touched a panel that showed the status of the remaining three probes, "but she will not fare so well against three." The shadowy figure finished as it pressed one final button on the panel.

Outside the ship, the three remaining octopus-looking probes were launched one by one and rocketed towards Earth, ready and willing to intercept their target by any means necessary.

0-0

Back at the creepy warehouse, the music and lights showed no sign of faltering as the partygoers continued enjoying the merriment of their surroundings: all but one lonely auburn-haired teen on the roof, sitting on the ledge with her head in her hands.

Starfire looked up to the sky to see three trails of light streak across the sky. Sighing heavily, she hung her head again, "Perhaps I do not belong here after all." She said dejectedly.

"Of course you don't." The alien Titan heard a voice come from behind her. She turned around to see Robin standing by the entrance of the stairs that lead up to the roof. "You belong down there, having fun with the rest of us." He said as he approached his friend, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong. Everything is wonderful." Starfire replied with a fake smile. The Boy Wonder took a seat next to her, hanging his feet over the edge. "The pounding music and blinding lights are quite enjoyable." These words barely left her mouth before her real mood reappeared on her face. "Everything is not wonderful. I am happy to see her, but Blackfire rules the video games, and she is able to share very depressing poems, and she is very flexible, and she knows the cool moves-" Robin showed a look of concern as he saw her visage drop, "-and she always knows when people are not talking about shovels." She finished, releasing a heavy sigh. "And I am nothing like her."

Robin placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to console the sulking teen, "No, you're not." He said in a comforting tone, "And I think-"

The sound of a –_**creak**__- _from hinges resounded behind them, effectively cutting the Boy Wonder off. The two teens turned around to see Blackfire propping up a skylight window and letting herself out. What really caught their attention, however, was that Starfire's older sisters' hair was now shorter and bright pink.

"How do I look?" The confident extraterrestrial asked approaching the two and swiping her hand through her hair.

"Pink." Robin replied bluntly, not giving the teen any thought, "Look, can you give us a minute here?"

Blackfire pouted at Robins' response; not exactly what she expected from the masked teen. However, her demeanor changed in an instant when she heard the music change. "_***Gasp***_ Oh, I _love_ this song!" She said happily.

In the next instant, the black-haired alien flew over to the pair, grabbed Robin's arm, and yanked him down through the skylight she came from. When the two passed through the skylight, the window swung shut, leaving Starfire alone on the roof again. With a weary sigh, the little sister stood up from the ledge. What caught her attention next was a cup that was held up next to her head. She turned to see her messy brown-haired teammate standing next to her.

"So _this_ is where you went to hide." Kylar said with a smile as the orange extraterrestrial took the cup. "I thought you left the party."

"I am sorry." Starfire said a bit sadly, "I did not want to be in the loud music and flashing lights anymore."

Kylar gave the girl a concerned look, "You don't have to go down if you don't want to."

"No, you misunderstand," the auburn-haired teen began, "it is not the party that upsets me." She released a heavy sigh before turning to the brunette, "I feel that my sister is trying to-"

"Look out!" Kylar shouted as he pushed his comrade away from him. After Starfire was away from the brunette, she looked back and saw another missile looking octopus craft swoop by, one of the tentacles seizing her friend, and then darting away.

"Kylar!" Starfire called out as the craft flew further and further from her, the brunette in fully in tow. Without a second thought, the alien Titan sped off to chase the brunettes' captor.

0-0

Inside the building, Beast Boy and Cyborg were dancing to the beat as though they owned the dance floor. However, the little green goofball stopped busting a move and looked up when he heard what sounded like glass breaking. When he looked up, he saw a familiar black-jacketed brunette fall to the ground.

"WHA! Ky! What's going on?!" Beast Boy cried out in surprise as the brunette stood up, rubbing his head.

"Starfire needs help." He replied, "Go get the others, NOW!" The brunette demanded. With a nod from the greenling, Kylar formed his aura around his feet and arms before shooting back into the air through the skylight and out of sight.

After the brunette left, Beast Boy ran across the room to track down the bionic teen. He was finally able to find the larger African teen dancing in the center of the room, "Cy! Star's in trouble!" The changeling shouted over the music.

This caught the metallic Titans' attention as he stopped dancing and turned to look. Immediately as he turned around, he saw Beast Boy get grabbed by a tentacle that shot out from behind and get dragged toward the door.

"Whoa! Help!" The green teen cried out as he struggled against the probe craft.

Cyborg ran after him, but was broadsided by another probe; knocking the teen up against the wall.

0-0

In a dark corner of the warehouse, Raven and the Goth boy from earlier were talking as the fighting started.

"So… do you like show tunes?" The Goth teen asked, receiving a _very_ bored and disapproving look from the gray-skinned Titan.

Before she could respond, the probe hauling Beast Boy away passed by. Her companion beat feet out of there, and she flew to lend a hand, levitating two crates and promptly projecting them at the craft. The impact of the crates jarred Beast Boy out of his captors' grip, causing him to skid across the floor. Through the skylight, Raven spotted the octopus craft silhouetted against the night sky, fighting two other smaller silhouetted figures. In the starry sky, the octopus craft grabbed one of the silhouettes and gained altitude before going into a screaming dive and crashing through the glass, into a pile of crates.

Raven moved back to avoid the impact as it flew by. At the same time, Cyborg landed a punch against the probe that struck him, after which Starfire flew out of the debris and blasting the craft that grabbed her with a starbolt. However, the attack proved to be ineffective as the probe lunged towards her. Before it could reach its target, Kylar slammed into the enemy and crashed through the wall next to them.

Beast Boy, momentarily in the clear, suddenly yelped and jumped in a backflip to get out of the way of the one probe that tried to tow him away. In his backflip, the green teen transformed into a tiger and lunged at the alien craft when he landed, driving it across the room with a swipe of his paws. The craft stopped backing away when it was beneath Starfire; in no time, it and the other two closed in on her. With a gasp, the alien quickly flew around and around, trying to shake them. She was able to get a breather when Kylar, Beast Boy, and Cyborg flew by, or in the case of the metallic teen jumped by, and tackled the three probes to the ground. Starfire turned back to see her three comrades take on her three pursuers. Kylar punched his opponent away, Beast Boy turned into an octopus to fight the probe on equal footing, and Cyborg was wrestling with the tentacles of his opponent. However, the third one was able to get the upper hand by spinning when the cyborg was entwined in its tentacles, resulting in sending the metallic Titan tumbling.

0-0

Robin and Blackfire were standing on the stairs in a different area of the warehouse. The sound of the commotion on the other side of the wall caught the masked Titans attention. He turned and walked towards the noise but was stopped when the visiting Tamaranean grabbed him.

"Where are you going?" She asked, trying to pull the Titan back to the merriment, "Stay and talk to me."

Robin ripped his arm from Blackfires' grip, "Look, I just want to make sure that Starfire's okay." He explained as he began to walk away, Blackfire shooting the teen a disapproving look. Before the Tamaranean could give an argument, Cyborg crashed through the wall, surprising the both of them. As he stood up, rubbing his head and grumbling, Robin ran over to him, "What's going on?"

"Remember that thing that attacked Star?" Cyborg asked as the Boy Wonder helped him up, "It had friends." He finished before rushing back into the melee, leaving Blackfire alone at the top of the stairs.

Robin began to follow suit, but stopped upon seeing Starfire's older sister not moving, "Didn't you hear him? You're sister needs help!"

"Right. Of course." Blackfire responded with a smile. She pulled off her pink hair and dropped it, letting her natural, long black hair flow freely, before running down the stairs to follow the masked Titan.

0-0

As the rest of the Titans continued fighting the probes, Starfire was knocked through the warehouse wall and into another wall before dropping into a nearby dumpster, the lid falling over her from the sudden impact. Before she could get out, however, one of the tentacle monsters slammed down on it and held it shut before hoisting the entire container skyward; the other two probes following the one carrying the dumpster.

Suddenly, one of Robin's birdarangs severed two of the tentacles holding the dumpster, causing it to fall to the ground. It returned to his hand as the remaining Titans formed around him, ready to attack the crafts trying to capture their teammate.

"Teen Titans! GO!" Robin and Cyborg shouted as they prepared to attack. However, before they could move, the black-haired Tamaranean flew over their heads and straight towards the three probes, all of which moved to intercept, flying towards her with tentacles forward. To the Titan's surprise, beams of purple energy shot forth from Blackfire's eyes straight through the crafts' lower bodies, causing them to spark before detonating. As she landed, fragments of hulls and tentacles rained down around the Titans in the alley.

"Aw yeah!" Cyborg cheered as the five Titans ran to her, "Good times!"

"Nice shooting, Tex."

"You took them down so easily."

"Very nice." Four of the present Titans voiced their amazement at the spectacle of how Starfire's sister was able to dispatch the three enemies with ease and proficiency.

"How did you know where to hit them?" Robin asked, completely confused at how quickly she defeated the probes.

"Lucky guess." The black-haired Tamaranean offered with a shrug."

"We could use luck like that." Cyborg said cheerfully as he patted the orange-skinned older sister on the back, "Maybe you oughta join the team."

"_Me_? A Teen Titan?" Blackfire asked, feigning surprise. However, the group of Titans failed to notice _their_ Tamaranean comrade opening the lid on the dumpster, hearing what the bionic Titan said to her sister. With a gasp and dejected sigh, Starfire closed the lid again, trying to make herself as though she didn't exist.

0-0

Later that evening, the group had gotten back to the comfort of their home to celebrate their victory. Well… most of them anyway. While the boys and Blackfire were hanging out in the Ops Center, Raven had secluded herself in her room to meditate, while the auburn-haired Titan was standing on the roof.

Slowly walking to the edge, Starfire could hear the sound of waves breaking loudly against the island's shores. She was carrying a pink backpack by the shoulder straps that held a few meager possessions inside. Looking up to the moon, the teen was ready to take off into the sky. "She will be a better Titan than I ever was." She sighed as she slung the pack onto her shoulder.

Just as she lifted herself off the roof, a voice from behind her stopped her from going any further, "Were you just going to leave without saying goodbye?" Starfire turned around to see Robin on the roof.

Having been called out in this manner, she could not look the leader in the eye, but instead dipped her head and descended back to the roof. The backpack slid off her shoulders when she finally looked up at him, "Robin, I-" was all the Tamaranean could say before the low humming of a foreign object alerted the teens to turn around. What they saw was a gray alien drop ship, the same ship that released the probes earlier, approaching the tower. On the outside of the ship, one alien was standing on the top, the moonlight revealed its figure wearing red armor, and shaped like a crustacean. In an instant, the armored alien extended its right arm and lashed out a long, green tentacle at the duo. When it reached them, the attack slammed against Robin, causing him to skid across the roof, and then snared Starfire, wrapping itself around her mouth and body before she could put up any sort of resistance.

Robin quickly got to his feet and saw the ship float away from the tower. Growling as he sprinted most of the length of the roof to catch his teammate, the Boy Wonder leaped off the roof when he reached the edge and flew a few feet towards the vessel. However, the momentum was not enough to carry him as he fell short and began falling. Losing sight of the masked teen, Starfire cried out in terror, her muffled screams ringing throughout the sky.

At the same time, as Robin was falling through the sky, he felt something grab his belt and lift him into the air towards the alien ship. He looked over his should to see Kylar was the one holding his belt.

"Need a lift?" The black-jacketed teen asked with a smile.

"Kylar? What are you doing here?" Robin asked as the two continued flying through the air.

"Does that _really_ matter right now?" Kylar responded, "Let's go get our teammate back."

Robin nodded with a determined look on his face. With that, Kylar heaved the Boy Wonder up closer to him and placed a hand under his shoulder as they approached their target.

0-0

High in the clouds, the shining moon causing the sky to tint a beautiful violet color, the alien prison ship prepared to leave Earth's atmosphere. A thin barrier of translucent energy surrounded the captured Tamaranean while the green tentacle-like binds still covered her arms and mouth. Despite this, however, the girl struggled against them, the sound of her muffled cries ringing around her.

Outside of the barrier, two red-armored aliens were standing at a control panel. One crustacean was dealing with the navigational duties as it pressed buttons on said panel. "Prepare to leave Earth's orbit. We have the Tamaranean girl." One of the extraterrestrials ordered.

The other captor turned towards the imprisoned teen, "Once we return to Centauri, you _will_ pay for what you have done." It said, leaning over the captive imposingly. Starfire couldn't respond, she could only struggle and grunt through her binds.

On the underside of the craft, Kylar and Robin were hanging on opposite sides of the ship. "Nobody's taking her away." Robin said in response to what the now dubbed Centauri said.

"Let's show them what happens when you mess with a Titan." Kylar added with narrow eyes. With a nod from the spiky-haired teen, the two of them vaulted to the deck and landed in between the crustacean and their teammate.

"Our friend stays here!" Robin yelled as he readied himself in a martial artists pose. The brunette next to him summoned his purplish-black flames around his arms and readied himself to attack as well. Tears came to Starfires' eyes as she saw two of her friends came to save her.

With a roar, the Centauri charged at the duo and swung its right arm to attack. The brunette and masked teens were able to easily dodge, but the charger continued its assault on the Boy Wonder. Following with a roundhouse kick, Robin leaped back from his aggressor as it began shooting a multitude of right-handed laser blasts that came from the same weapon that lashed the green tentacle substance. Several of the shots hit the force field holding Starfire, but bounced off, leaving the captive without harm. The crustacean alien charged at the masked teen again and swung its right arm for another attack only to crack upon impact with the field, leaving its underarm exposed for Robin to counter-attack. Thinking quickly, Robin punched the opening in his enemies arm, sending sparks up from the armor and throughout his aggressors' body, sending it tumbling back.

Kylar was engaging the Centauri pilot, flying around the alien as it shot laser blasts at him. Weaving through the blasts, the teen dove down and landed in a crouch in front of the armored visitor. As the pilot swung down at the brunette, Kylar kick its legs out from underneath. Before the alien hit the ground, the black-jacketed Titan sent his opponent into the air with an aura-powered kick. Shooting into the sky after it, Kylar grabbed both crustaceans' arms from behind its back and pulled on them.

"GAAAAH-AAAAH!" The Centauri cried out in pain as the brunette continued pulling on its' arms.

"A crab, huh? Let's crack you open and see how much meat you have." Kylar taunted with a _very_ malicious grin on his face. In the next second, the brunette flipped his enemy over and flew down towards the ship. When the two collided, a crater formed on the surface of the ship with Kylar on top of the Centauri. "Hmm, with crabs I would have white wine, I think." The brunette said as he stood up. He glanced down to see his enemy twitching slightly, presumably unconscious from the impact.

On the other end of the ship, Robin had retreated to a spot near one of the ship's engines on the side. He looked back to see a tentacle lash out at him before barely dodging the attack. Fortunately, or I guess unfortunately, the attack hit the edge of the Boy Wonder's cape and deflected into the engine, causing flames to shoot out of it.

"No!" The Centauri who shot at Robin screamed as he rushed over to the control panel. With one engine out of commission, the craft began losing altitude, causing everyone on board to lose their balance. "I cannot control it!" The same Centauri shouted as it tried to prevent the ship from crashing into a riverbank.

Robin and Kylar scrambled across the deck to the control panel in front of Starfire. Pressing a button, Kylar deactivated the force field as Robin peeled the tentacles from the Tamaraneans' body. "Robin! Kylar!" Starfire cheered as the tentacle left her mouth.

"Come on!" Robin extended a hand to her which she took as the ship fell closer and closer to the ground. With a nod, the three of them leaped from the deck just in time as the ship turned down nose first and grinded into the riverbank, skidding a considerable distance before finally stopping and tumbling forward, landing on its top deck.

Starfire lowered Robin safely to the ground before landing beside him. Kylar landed next to the Tamaranean shortly after. "Star! Robin! Ky!" The three of them turned around to see Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Raven approaching them.

"You guys okay?" The large metallic teen asked when they reached them.

Before any of the combatants could answer, the group turned to see the two Centauri crewmen standing amid the clouds of smoke pouring from their wrecked craft. All six Titans braced themselves for action.

"Titans! Get ready!" Robin ordered as the Centauri approached the group. He, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Kylar formed around Starfire while Raven floated behind them with orbs of her magic surrounding her hands.

However, instead of attacking, the red-armored alien removed a yellow black-marked pentagon-shaped badge from the plate of armor on its chest and held it up to the group, "In the name of the Grand Centauri Empire, you are all under arrest." This caught every Titan by surprise as they all fell to the ground.

Beast Boy was the first to speak up when they stood back up, "Uh… you can't be the good guys." He said, "We're the good guys." He finished, gesturing to the group.

"And _we_ are Centauri police." The Space Cop replied evenly.

"The Tamaranean girl is a _liar_ and a _thief_." The other Centauri stated as it pointed to Starfire, "She's committed high crimes throughout the entire Centauri system."

The group of teens exchanged looks of confusion as Robin and Starfire looked at each other.

"I have never even _been_ to the Centauri moons!" The Tamaranean cried in protest to the allegations.

Robin looked at the necklace around his friends' neck before removing it, "But I know someone who has." He said as he held the piece of jewelry up.

Gazing into the large green gem her sister gave her, Starfire gasped as she pieced together everything that had happened.

"You've been chasing the wrong girl." The spiky-haired Titan said as he threw the necklace at the Centauri who caught it with its' left hand. "Where's Blackfire?" He asked as he turned to face the rest of the group.

"Uh…" Beast Boy hesitated with his answer as he pointed towards the sky. Everyone looked to see a tiny black shape zooming among the clouds, away from the area.

"Don't worry, Star. She won't get away with this." Robin stated.

"No she will _not_!" Starfire growled with sudden ice-cold fury, her narrowed eyes glowing green before shooting off after the dot. The enraged teen flew past a surprised Blackfire before coming to a stop. "Hello, sister." She said in a chilled voice, eyes still glowing and arms crossed in front of her.

Blackfire had changed back into her own clothes along with the armored undergarments. "Aw, you're mad." Blackfire cooed, "I know, I should've told you I was leaving, but you know how I hate goodbyes and-"

"You are a criminal, and you were going to let me take your place in _jail_!" The angered little sister interrupted.

"Oh… well… yeah," the older sister admitted weakly.

"You will give back what you have stolen and turn yourself over to the police!" Starfire ordered as she leaned closer to her sister.

Blackfire leaned right back towards her, "And what will you do if I don't?" The auburn-haired teen did not have an immediate answer. Not wanting to wait for one, the black-haired Tamaranean warmed up a purple starbolt in her hand and released it, blasting her sister in the stomach, causing her to fall back, "I always _was_ the better fighter," she remarked as Starfire righted herself.

"Not anymore!" The Titan argued defiantly. Blackfire unloaded a machine-gun barrage of starbolts at her sister. Starfire flew through them all without so much as getting her hair singed and gathered herself for a crushing counterstrike. She released her own concentrated starbolt that connected with her older sisters' hand, making the attack Blackfire was about to shoot fizzle out.

In the next instant, one very angry little sister rose to stare her down; both hands lost in the dazzling radiance of the starbolts she was holding. Blackfire merely laughed in her face, but trailed off into a surprised yell as a Centauri tentacle whipped in from behind and tied around her body, ending at her neck. Starfire turned to look toward the source to see the ship was righted and the two crewmen were standing on top.

"Blackfire of Tamaran, you are under arrest." One Centauri policeman said as it reeled in the criminal.

"Farewell, sister." Starfire waved to her now captured older sibling, "Although you did betray and attack me, it was… still very nice to see you."

"Next time it won't _be_ so nice." Blackfire threatened as she struggled against her binds, "I _will_ get out of jail, _little sister_, and I _will_ get even!" The comment earned her a look of worry from said little sister as she was finally placed inside a containment field when she reached the ship.

0-0

The next morning, after the sun rose into the sky, Starfire was sitting at the edge of the roof of the tower, bathing in the light and lost in thought. She looked out over the sparking bay as the wind blew her air to the side.

"Hey." She heard a voice from behind her. The Tamaranean turned to see Robin standing behind her, "How are you doing?" The masked teen asked as he took a seat next to her.

"I am… sad for my sister." Starfire admitted sullenly.

"And for yourself?"

"I am just glad that the truth was discovered before I was replaced." Starfire sighed as she looked back into the bay.

This earned her a worried look from the spiky-haired Titan, "What are you talking about?"

Starfire turned to face her friend, "Well, you… everyone was having such fun with her, and then Cyborg said-"

"Look. Your sister was interesting, but she could never take your place." Robin explained before giving the girl a warm smile, "No one could ever take your place."

Hearing him loud and clear, Starfire gave the boy a warm answering smile. Enjoying each others company, both teens looked back into the bay as it sparkled in the sunlight, ready for what the day would bring.

* * *

_**"Sisters function as safety nets in a chaotic world simply by being there for each other." **_  
_**― Carol Saline**_

**Author's Notes:**

**Oh my god finally, right? I didn't think it would take so long to finish up this chapter, but I got it done finally. Now I can move onto the next one, where the HIVE teens show up and do things. Wonderful.**

**For those who don't know, in yoga, chakras are points in the body at which spiritual energy is concentrated. There are seven in the body that range from the top of the head to the base of the tailbone, and the Ajna chakra, which is the point centered on the forehead, is the second one down.**

**Again, thank you all for taking the time to read this story. I wouldn't be anywhere without you or some other cheesy thankful saying. I hope you were entertained by the chapter, if not, I apologize. For those who took the time to read the author's notes, thank you, you are the greatest. For those who don't, when a male bee climaxes, their testicles explode... and they die.**

**So that's it for this chapter, until next time; See You Space Cowboys.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the DC Universe nor do I own anything from Teen Titans. Any other references made belong to their respective owners, again I own any of that.**


	5. Final Exam

_Shazaam!_ In a bright flash, static on a screen resolved to form a school crest on a big monitor. The field was hexagonal, black-and-white checkered within a gold border, and a large **H** superimposed on it in gold script. Across the bottom was a white banner bearing the letters "**H.A.E.Y.P.**" Behind the crest, a square corridor could be seen, with yellow walls, ceiling, and floor marked in a honeycomb pattern.

**"The HIVE Academy for Extraordinary Young People is proud to introduce…"** A cool female voice began to narrate as a platform rose up into view in front of the crest, carrying three young individuals. One was a very short, bald boy in a forest green jumpsuit; a pair of goggles propped on his forehead, and assorted controls mounted at his chest and waist level. Behind the small boy was a very tall, beefy fellow with collar-length brown hair and a small beard; effectively the short boys complete opposite. The larger teens sleeveless shirt and pants were black, he had studded gold wristbands, and studded gold bands crossed his chest and ran around his shoulders. Off to the right of these two was a slim girl in an off the shoulder black dress trimmed with blue ruffles, black-and-blue striped stockings, and black platform boots with blue soles. Her pink hair was bound into two large horn-like tufts that stuck up above her ears and her catlike eyes were the same color. Her skin was an odd shade of light gray and she wore a small pendant that hung from a black ribbon that encircled her throat. **"…this year's top graduates."** The cool female voice continued as the three leapt from the platform; the big one and the girl dropped out of the frame as the camera zoomed in on the runt. **"Gizmo-the boy genius whose intellect can conquer any problem with an **_**inventive**_** solution."** As the voice spoke, the now named pint-sized boy pressed a button on his chest control; a pair of large steel wings sprouting from the pack on his back as he took flight. Laser cannons popped out from the wall panels and opened fire against him. The runt known as Gizmo easily avoided all the shots as he pushed another button on his chest; a small missile launcher came up between the wings on his pack and unleashed a salvo of projectiles that destroyed all the guns with remarkable efficiency. The young boy landed on the platform he and his classmates originally stood on, and then quickly glided away as two large white and black-trimmed robots stepped in from portals that opened up in the walls. The girl came into the frame and took his place when he left. **"Jinx-the enchanting sorceress whose powerful hexes mean **_**bad luck**_** for her enemies."** The voice stated as the girl extended her arms to both sides and performed a 360-degree twirl, throwing off a wave of energy that caused a couple of wall panels to fall away. She leapt high off the platform, and the panels crashed down on the robots' heads. Two other robots moved in during this sequence and met the same fate as the pinkette back flipped down the corridor a short distance. As three large laser cannons emerged from the recessed panels in the floor, the giant suddenly dropped into view and bent the barrel of one of them as if it were a piece of taffy. **"And Mammoth-the genetically enhanced giant whose unstoppable **_**strength**_** speaks for itself."** The woman spoke as the behemoth tore the cannon from its moorings and performed an Olympic-style hammer throw, slinging it away before the debris skidded down the hall and wrecked the other two cannons. A robot like the ones from before then caught the huge man in its hands, but Gizmo jumped onto its back and attached a small unit, which screwed itself down into the robots back, sending up a small puff of smoke. Sparks flew from the head of the robot as the small boy leapt away, having hotwired the thing out of commission. **"Well-organized, highly trained, and combat-equipped…"** The narrator said as Mammoth threw off the robot, which collapsed after the teen freed itself, and Gizmo landed in a crouch near the camera before running off again. Jinx ran towards Mammoth and sprung up just before reaching him; he caught one foot and boosted her into a series of flips that carried her down the corridor. **"…these new HAEYP agents are the perfect fighting force."** The female narrator said, pronouncing the acronym like the word "hype." Batteries of lasers emerged from behind the walls and released a salvo of bullets against the cat-eyed girl, who continued her gymnastic advance. Not one shot hit her, but the positioning of the turrets on opposite walls resulted in their blowing each other to bits by the time she reached the end of the gauntlet. Surveying the damage in triumph, the sorceress turned to face the front. **"And for the right price…" **Gizmo and Mammoth slid to both sides of her, **"…this ideal team can be yours."** The narrator finished, the screen giving way to static, which then resolved into the HIVE Academy's crest against a dark field.

A gray-haired woman stepped in front of the monitor, wearing a severe dark outfit with a hexagonal gold path on one sleeve. "Well, Mr. Slade?" The woman asked to a shadowy figure seated behind her.

The shadowy form stood behind a railing on a slightly elevated platform across the area, wisps of steam rising from the floor. Apparently, this had been some sort of highlight reel and sales pitch that the figure had just watched. "Impressive. Truly." The shadow, referred to as _Slade_, stated in a measured and calm tone. "However, robots and obstacle courses only prove so much." The figure led the mistress away from the screen and deeper into the machinery, the sound of their footsteps sounded throughout the room as they walked on a catwalk, "My plans demand operatives who can function in the _real_ world. If your students are going to serve me…" They reached a darkened area with two spotlights shining down from above. The three graduates occupied one pool of light and the woman stepped into the other while Slade kept to the darkness, "…they'll have to pass one final test. Destroy the Teen Titans," he ordered as he turned his back to the group, "and _then_ we'll talk."

The light on the trio went out, and the woman bowed before her light was extinguished as well. Only the outline of Slade's figure and his eye were visible as he was left alone.

"Ravager." The lone figure called out. When he did, another shadowy figure, much smaller and thinner in frame, dropped down behind him, the right eye being the only visible part of the shadow. "I have a special task for you." He said before the remaining light source switched off, bathing the entire area in complete darkness.

0-0

Such a beautiful day in Jump City: the weather was perfect at 86 degrees Fahrenheit, no humidity, and a slight breeze passed through to keep those who felt hot, _cool_. A beautiful and peaceful day…

"Aw, man, come on!" Of course, it's always lively at Titans Tower. Inside the common room, the sink and counter were piled high with dirty dishes, and the floor was strewn in garbage. "It's gotta be around here _someplace_!" Cyborg groaned as he looked around the living room for… something. Beast Boy, as a bloodhound, sniffed at some of the trash as the metallic man released another frustrated groan. "I don't believe this." Cyborg sighed as he hoisted the couch above his head and shook it in search of whatever had been lost. Along with the green hound and bionic teen, Raven was situated at the kitchen table, reading a book, completely ignoring the total disarray around her. "_How_ could you _lose_ the remote?" Cyborg asked in an annoyed tone as he placed the couch back on the floor.

Beast Boy turned back into his human form, "What makes you so sure _I_ lost it?" He returned as he continued to rummage through some cabinets.

"Uh… 'cause you're _you_." Cyborg quipped flatly.

"Hey!" Beast Boy leaned over to face the taller teen, "Just because I lost that video game-"

"-and the toothpaste, and my football, and the waffle iron-" Cyborg added as he counted on his fingers. A sight gag showed the two against a red field with a thought cloud above their heads with each item mentioned passing by before disappearing from said cloud.

"Things disappear. How am I supposed to know where they go?" The green teen asked, the mind-numbing argument between the two caused Raven to lower her book. From her face, one could see the annoyance in her eyes, as well as a vein that started to throb in her temple.

"Well, how am _I_ supposed to watch TV without a _remote_?" Cyborg inquired as he pointed to the screen on the window.

"Simple." Raven said icily, "You just get up and change the channel." She answered as she slammed her book shut and stood up from the table.

This answer caused the two squabbling boys to give her and each other a very long and puzzled look. "Don't even _joke_ like that." Cyborg said back to the mage.

"I _wasn't_ joking." She growled evenly.

"Good, 'cause it wasn't _funny_!" The larger teen yelled, "Now either help us look for the remote," Raven grimaced at the idea as an angry spark flew from her head, "or go back to your nasty old book and-"

"This is a pointless argument over a useless device. You are wasting your energy and disrupting my concentration." The blue-clad mage deadpanned as the doors behind her slid open.

The black-jacketed brunette walked in and saw the status of the living room, "Great. Beast Boy lost the remote again, didn't he?" Kylar sighed as he walked over to the fridge.

"Why is it always _me_?" Beast Boy cried as he slumped into a corner, Cyborg chuckling at the changelings' distress.

"Remember you _borrowed_ one of my loofas because you '_misplaced'_ yours?" Kylar pulled out a single aluminum can, labeled **soda**, from the fridge. He glanced at it and saw a weird, blue, furry substance on it before flicking it off, "I still haven't gotten that brush back." He continued as he opened the can.

"It's not missing!" Beast Boy replied, "I don't lose everything I touch!"

"The waffle iron." The brunette stated evenly. The sound of shattering glass went off in Beast Boys' head as he fell to the floor. Kylar and Raven shook their heads at the green teen as he stood back up.

"I'm telling you, I didn't lose it!" The changeling cried as he pointed a finger at Cyborg, "_You_ were the one watching TV last!" The sliding doors in the back of the room opened to admit Robin and Starfire.

"And that is the secret to travelling faster than light." Starfire said as she and Robin entered the room. The two of them turned and gasped when they noticed the condition of the room.

"So if you want to blame someone, look in the mirror, buddy!" Beast Boy growled.

"Whoa! Take it easy, Titans! Combat practice is this afternoon." The masked teen said, trying to ease the tense situation that was happening in the room.

"We must mend your dispute by the sharing of unhealthy junk foods. I shall fetch them." Starfire said as she and the Boy Wonder crossed the room to the kitchen, passing Raven and Kylar as they walked.

As the auburn-haired teen reached the fridge, the arguing of the two remote-searchers grew louder and louder. When she looked inside the fridge, she noticed a jumble of half-eaten leftovers, all covered with a thick layer of blue mold, giving the indication that the fridge had not been cleaned out in who knows how long. She looked to the top shelf and saw the growth on a wheel of cheese start to move and screech. "EEEEEEKKK!" Starfire shrieked as she threw a starbolt at the contents in the fridge, blowing up everything inside and splattering blue crud throughout the operations center, covering each Titan as a result.

"Maybe we should just go out for pizza." Robin offered as a bit of the furry blue mold slid off one of his spiky locks, the other Titans agreeing with a nod before darting out of the room.

0-0

At the heart of Jump City, after washing up and cleaning themselves, the Titans decided to have lunch at the pizza joint that was built at the intersection of two streets at an acute angle and had a second-story patio. The floor's coloring and the placement of the tables made the entire store look like a huge slice of pepperoni. The sound of four Titans arguing could be heard as inside the restaurant, the group was seated at a booth placed in the corner, having a semi-circular seating arrangement around a rounded table. Beast Boy was squatting on his stool instead of sitting as he argued over what should go on the pizza.

"Can we please just order something?" Raven asked in an annoyed tone as the arguing stopped for a brief moment.

"As long as it's vegetarian." Beast Boy pouted as he folded his arms in front of him.

"Come on, man, how can you deny me the all-meat experience?" Cyborg asked, as he looked the menu over.

"Dude, I've been most of those animals!" the changeling returned, offended at his teammates question.

"I suggest a large pizza with pickles, bananas, and mint frosting." Starfire suggested in her usual innocent and cheery tone.

Beast Boy shot the Tamaranean a repulsed look as he stuck his tongue out in disgust, Cyborg and Raven thought just as little of it as they looked over at her with wide-eyed expressions.

Robin leaned over to her, "Uh, Starfire? Not everything on the menu is a pizza topping." He explained.

"Oh!" She blushed over the gaffe she made.

The green and bionic teen continued arguing, "Double pepperoni!" Cyborg shouted.

"I'm not eating meat!" Beast Boy returned.

"There's no meat in pepperoni!"

Raven sighed at the idiocy happening in front of her. She turned her head to see Kylar a few feet from the table, talking to one of the waitresses. "Three medium pizzas please." She heard him say, "One vegetarian, one double pepperoni, and one just plain cheese with stuffed crust." He said as he handed the waitress three twenty-dollar bills. "And thanks for putting up with us. Keep the change." He finished with a smile. The waitress bowed before going behind the counter as the brunette returned to the table and took a seat next to her.

"Where'd you get the money?" Raven asked as she raised her left eyebrow.

"Working." Kylar replied with an innocent smile.

"You work?"

0-0

Outside the restaurant, someone watched the argument between the green and the metallic teens begin anew through a scanner, marking crosshairs on each of the Titan's heads. At the bottom of the view, the words "**INITIATE MISSION**" flashed red.

"Gizmo to Jinx." A childish voice said over a communicator, "Begin Phase One." The pink-haired charm caster was cupping her ear as the orders rang via hidden radio. With a nod, the cat-eyed girl carelessly tossed a hex bolt at a bus, causing the vehicle to roll downhill.

Back inside the pizza joint, the vehicle's horn blaring from down the street caused the Titans to stand up from the table, stopping their argument. The sound of a baby crying from ground level elicited a shocked gasp from Beast Boy as they all looked out the window to see a carriage in the crosswalk, directly in the way of the speeding bus.

"Titans! GO!" Robin shouted as the rest of the team immediately sprang into action. Starfire pushed the carriage out of the way while Cyborg and Kylar planted themselves in front of Raven, all three of them in the path of the vehicle. When the bus reached the two of them, both males pushed back against the front fender to slow it down, the brunette's arms and legs were engulfed in his aura to keep up in strength. However, the momentum of the vehicle was enough to cause Kylar and Cybrog's feet to grind against the pavement. Raven then summoned her magic to move the gearshift lever from _**Neutral**_ to _**Park**_. The bus' tires screeched as it slowed into a tearing skid, finally stopping with only a foot or two to spare between the two males and the mage.

"Um… don't buses normally have drivers?" Cyborg asked as he glanced inside to find the vehicle was empty.

"And don't baby carriages normally have babies?" Robin asked as he peered into the carriage. Beast Boy and Starfire glanced at him as he pulled a dark green-furred teddy bear with light green eyes out, having taken the place of the typical occupant.

"Are you pit-sniffers normally this stupid?" a condescending voice suddenly asked from the bear before the head swiveled around and fired laser beams from its' eyes at the three Titans looking at it. The force of the impact projected Robin, Beast Boy, and Starfire screaming through the air into a nearby alleyway as a result, with smoke trailing behind them. Suddenly, the mode of mass transit tilted back onto its rear wheels, seemingly of its own volition. Cyborg, Kylar, and Raven looked up, completely flabbergasted as the shadow fell over them. They looked down and saw that a large brown-haired villain had seized the rear bumper and levered the vehicle into the air. As he brought it down on the trio, Kylar pushed his robotic and magical teammates out from under the bus at the last second, knocking them out of harms way.

"Ky!" the African and gray-skinned teens cried as they looked back at the bus. However, the sound of nasty laughter caught the teens' attention before they could move the bus. Behind them were the three teens hired to dispose of them: Jinx, Gizmo, and Mammoth.

"That was too easy." The midget cackled, "Now there's only two left."

Cyborg and Raven readied themselves to attack when Robin and Starfire emerged from the alley. "This isn't over!" The masked teen returned as he dusted some garbage off. Beast Boy jumped up next to them.

Without warning, the bus behind the metallic teen and mage blasted into the air and over a building. The team looked back to see a large pillar of purplish-black energy protruding from a hole in the ground. When the energy dissipated, they saw Kylar standing in the middle of it, arms emitting his signature power and eyes glowing pure white before his blue pupils were visible again, "Not by a long shot." The brunette growled as he walked to join his teammates.

"Who are these guys?" Beast Boy asked, tossing a banana peel off his head.

"_We_ are the HIVE!" The midget known as Gizmo answered.

"You're _worst_ nightmare!" The hulking teen known as Mammoth added.

"And _this_ is Attack Pattern Alpha!" The pinkette known as Jinx finished.

After Jinx spoke, she and Mammoth charged the group while Gizmo's back transformed into a jet that carried him into the air. The midget fired a volley of laser shots at the alley, chipping loose large chunks of masonry so that they fell on the three teens.

Raven and Jinx engaged in a close-quarters spell-to-spell duel while Cyborg grappled with the enhanced, brown-haired Mammoth. Kylar shot off into the sky to chase the pint-sized mechanic. As the HIVE alumnus were being pushed down the street, Robin, Beast Boy, and Starfire freed themselves from the rockslide Gizmo set off.

"What do you call an idiot with a rocket on his back?" Mammoth asked, finally getting a grip on the metallic teen and holding him in place.

"Huh?"

"Doomed!" Gizmo cackled as he slapped a large gray rocket onto Cyborg's back. Clearing away, and touching a control, the midget ignited the rocket and sent the bionic Titan veering crazily over the buildings. Robin, Beast Boy, and Starfire watched from the alley as his yells of panic drifted down to them.

"Cyborg!" The orange-skinned teen shouted as she took off into the sky after him. However, once she got close, the rocket changed direction and gained speed as it carried the cyborg further and further from the fight. Starfire flew after it, resulting in her removal from the fight as well.

At the same time the pink-haired sorceress came at the mage with a jumping spin kick, only for her attack to miss when Raven ducked out of the way. Dodging two more strikes, the gray-skinned Titan counter with a backhand, only for it to get blocked easily. "You fight like a boy." Jinx smirked as Raven jumped away from her.

"And you're gonna croak like a _frog_!" The bald genius shouted from above. Raven looked up to see Gizmo balanced on four tall spider-like legs that came from his back and a small cannon over his shoulder. As he readied a blast, an arc of purplish-black energy sailed by and cut through the inventors' robotic legs, causing him to fall to the ground and disrupting his aim. "WHAAAA!" He cried as the blast went off, sailing over the mages' head and hitting Robin squarely in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

Raven looked back and saw Kylar flying up to her, ball of aura in hand, and connecting with her opponents' torso, hurling the HIVE student away from them. The brunette shot her a smile before they both leapt back to dodge a rocket that exploded when it hit the ground.

"HAH!" Beast Boy howled as he rushed past the Boy Wonder and transformed into an elephant. However, his charge was stopped short when the sound of grunting caught his attention. The next thing the changeling knew, the big lummox of a man lifted him clean off his feet.

"Mammoth's gonna make you extinct!" the large teen laughed as he chucked the mammal at the mage and aura manipulator, the latter grabbing his teammate and flying off to the side as the green elephant changed back into its human form.

"Is it me, or are we getting our butts kicked?" Beast Boy asked after he skidded to a stop near his two comrades.

"It's just you." Raven and Kylar replied in unison.

"Listen up, team. I have a plan." Robin said as he helped the green teen to his feet. Before he could explain, two laser blasts caught Raven and Beast Boy in the chest and sent them flying, leaving the Boy Wonder and brunette to face the threat.

"Gee, scum-buffer." Gizmo taunted as the three HIVE students approached the duo, the midgets shoulder mounted laser leveling itself at the two Titans, "Sure hope your fancy plan includes getting fried!"

Kylar and Robin shot each other a look. With a nod, they turned to face the trio of villains, "You'll just have to find out the hard way." The masked teen said as he took up a fighting stance, holding one hand out with its back to their opponents, flicking his fingers towards himself. Without saying anything, Kylar engulfed his arms in aura as he assumed a fighting stance with his back to his friend.

The shoulder-mounted laser zeroed in and fired a shot at the street, a long crack opened in the asphalt ahead of the point of impact. Jinx leapt backwards and landed on her knees as she threw a spell that broke the fissure wider. With a final follow-up, Mammoth leapt in with a mighty yell and brought all his weight down on the fault line. The net effect of the three-way combo caused a very wide chasm to run straight down the middle of the road towards Kylar and Robin. Just as the road split beneath them, Kylar ignited his legs and hovered over the gap. However, the Boy Wonder wasn't as lucky as he quickly began falling.

"Sparrow!" Kylar called as he quickly dropped and grabbed his leader by the back of his belt. He began to pull the Boy Wonder out of the chasm, but was interrupted when a rocket flew at them and exploded in between them, causing the two to separate, the brunette skidding across the street, and Robin tumbling into the darkness beneath Jump City. When the dust cleared, Kylar only had Robins' belt in his hand.

"Robin!" Beast Boy cried out before falling to the ground and holding his knee.

Kylar stared at the belt with wide eyes, an empty look on his face as he processed what just happened. "Kylar!" He heard Raven's voice call out to him, snapping him back to reality.

Kylar stood up and turned to his teammates, "Raven, take Beast Boy and get out of hear! I'll cover you're escape!" He ordered before turning back to face the HIVE agents.

"We're not leaving you!" Beast Boy shouted as he tried to stand up, only to collapse onto the ground again.

"NOW!" With a hesitant nod, Raven threw the injured Titans' arm over her shoulder and took off into the air.

"Looks like there's only one left." Jinx taunted as she brought a finger up to her cheek.

"Yeah, but I'm the one to beat." Kylar stated evenly as he buckled Robins' belt around his waist, thankful that the belt stretched to fit. "So how do you want to do this, all at once? Or one at a time?" He asked as he surrounded is arms in purplish-black energy again.

"I'll handle this!" Mammoth smirked as he cracked his knuckles. With a roar, he leapt into the air and came down at the brunette with a double axe handle. Kylar quickly jumped back, dodging the attack with relative ease as the big lummox followed up with a flurry of punches.

"Wow. Ugly, stupid, _and_ slow." Kylar taunted as he weaved through the oncoming attacks from the much larger enemy.

"I! AM! NOT! SLOW!" Mammoth shouted between punches, the black-jacketed brunette laughing at his response. As the two of them continued down the street, Kylar deflected one punch towards the ground, leaving the enhanced villain open to attack.

Quickly, Kylar performed a reverse heel kick that connected with the left side of Mammoth's face, causing him to whirl around. The aura manipulator then followed the attack by jumping towards the HIVE alumni, grabbing his head in a three-quarter-face lock, wrapping his left arm around the back of Mammoth's head, while the rest of his body was parallel to the ground.

Before the HIVE villain could comprehend what the Titan was doing, he found himself falling to the ground before his face slammed onto the pavement, creating a hole that his head was stuck in. Kylar could hear the villains' muffled grunts as he stood up and saw his opponent try to pry his head from the ground. "Don't move." The brunette threatened.

The next moment, a missile flew past his head and exploded when it came into contact with a building. Kylar turned to see the pink-haired sorceress throw hex bolts at him while the midget took flight. Surrounding his legs in aura, the brunette shot into the air to dodge the oncoming magic attacks and flew through the buildings of the city, Gizmo flying behind him in pursuit. The genius brought out his shoulder-mounted laser cannon and blasted at the brunette with a rapid-fire barrage. Kylar weaved through the blasts with such agility that none of the shots hit his body, however one managed to slightly singe the fluff on the hood of his jacket.

The brunette then turned sharply between two buildings, surprising Gizmo and causing him to fly past the opening. When he flew back to the gap, he couldn't find any trace of the Titan. "Where did that sludge-head go?" The bald boy asked as he hovered in place.

"Boo." The boy heard a voice say in his ear, scaring the ever-living crap out of him. With a shriek, Gizmo was about to shoot into the air, only for Kylar to grab his leg, holding the boy in place.

"Let me go, barf-brain!" Gizmo cried as he struggled against the brunette's grip.

"Quite the mouth you got." Kylar responded as he punched a hole in the midgets' backpack, ripping out wiring and causing the jets to turn off. He then grabbed the controller from the boys' hands, "Foul-mouthed children should be punished." Kylar said eerily as a sadistic grin grew on his face. The young genius screamed in fear as he wondered what the brunette was going to do to him.

0-0

Kylar tossed the short boy, now bound together by his controller cord with tape on his mouth, next to the larger teen with his head still in the pavement.

"Looks like there's only one left." Kylar said as he approached the final HIVE villain.

Jinx giggled a bit, "You're not bad, handsome." She said as she began walking around him, the two of them walking in a circle opposite to each other, "Why don't you come with us? You'd make a great villain."

Kylar grinned maliciously, "Oh, you have _no_ idea." He said as his deep-blue eyes met her pink ones.

With a pout, Jinx tossed a hex bolt at the brunette, who formed a ball in his hand and threw it to counter. When the two projectiles connected, a cloud of smoke filled the area. Jinx leapt through the cloud and began attacking the brunette with a flurry of punches and kicks, her moves releasing a salvo of hexes in an attempt to hit him, only for each attack to miss as the Titan swerved through the assault. Coming around with a right hook, Jinx found her attack caught by Kylars' left palm. The brunette pulled her in close, bringing them face-to-face, "You know, gray happens to be my favorite color." He smirked as he lifted the girls' chin with his free hand.

The sorceress released a hex from inside the brunettes' palm at the comment, causing him to fly back a bit. Landing in a crouch, he noticed Mammoth and Gizmo had freed themselves and were charging towards him. '_Gotta get back to the Tower, make sure BB and Rae are all right._' The brunette thought as he straightened himself. "Well, Pinky, as much fun as this was, I guess this is where I say goodbye."

"You're not going anywhere!" The pink-eyed villainess shouted as she threw a hexbolt at him.

Quickly jumping out of the way, Kylar ran towards the charging boys of the HIVE, "Okay fatty, I'll give you one free shot!" He called out to the larger teen.

"Who're you calling fat!" Mammoth responded, bringing his right arm up as he balled his hand. When he got close enough to the brunette, he swung his fist straight into the Titans' chest; only for the attack to get blocked at the last second by his aura consumed arms.

Using the power of the punch as a springboard, Kylar used the momentum to enhance his initial flight speed as he zipped past the pink-haired girl, "Later!" He called out as he gave the trio a two-finger salute.

Jinx growled as steam emitted from her head, "He got away." Mammoth stated in a disappointed tone.

"I _KNOW_ HE GOT AWAY!" Jinx hissed, causing Gizmo and Mammoth to cower in fear at her outburst. "But we still have the advantage," She began after cooling down, "After all," Jinx turned to her left, Titans Tower visible in the distance, "we know where they live."

0-0

On the ground floor of the Tower, the main entrance opened to admit Raven and Beast Boy, the latter limping and leaning against the former for support. The doors behind them shut as they continued walking down the entrance hall, both walls lined with armchairs.

"That didn't just _happen_." The green Titan said as the mage helped him into a chair, "_Tell me_ that didn't just happen." He began rubbing his injured leg.

Raven knelt in front of her teammate as she held her hands near the injured leg, "It _did_ happen. We cannot change the truth, no matter how much we dislike it." She said as her hands gave off a blue and white-trimmed energy, healing the changelings knee as the energy rolled into him.

"Who knew we had a doctor in the house?" Beast Boy asked with a smile, "Thanks."

"No problem." The mage returned as she stood up and dusted her robe off.

The sound of the main doors opening caught their attention. The two Titans traded a very nervous look before turning to see who entered; breathing a sigh of relief when they saw Cyborg and Starfire walk in with ear-to-ear smiles, the former no longer stuck with the rocket on his back.

"Maybe y'all should call me _Fly_borg." The African metallic man said to the orange alien as the doors closed behind them. "I was halfway to Vegas before Star zapped the thing off my back. So what'd I miss?" He asked as he turned to the other two Titans. The mage and changeling looked away from him, unable to meet his eyes. "Tell me how we kicked their butts. Come on, I gotta have the play-by-play." The cyborg eagerly said trying to get the details.

Starfire looked around the room with worry, "Where are Robin and Kylar?"

"Um, Star?" Beast Boy said hesitantly, getting the auburn-haired Titan's attention, "We're not sure."

"Not sure?" Starfire gaped, "Why are you not-"

"Kylar fought them to cover our escape." Raven explained, "And Robin… we don't know."

"How can you not know?" The orange-skinned Titan asked in disbelief, "He was with-" The sound of the metal doors opening caught her and the rest of the teams' attention. They all turned to see Kylar walk through he doors.

"Guys! You're all ok!" He sighed in relief as he approached his friends.

"Friend Kylar, what happened to Robin?" Starfire asked the brunette.

Kylar was hesitant with his answer as he looked away from his teammate, "I'm sorry Star, but this was all I could save." He replied as he unbuckled Robins' utility belt and held it to her.

Starfire gasped in horror while Cyborg clapped both of his hands to his forehead, "I shoulda been there." The bionic teen groaned, "I let that kid sneak up on me and-what was I-? It was a trap, and I-I shoulda known."

The auburn-haired alien shook her head before speaking, "I do not understand. How could you not save all of him?" Her voice rising as she leaned in towards the brunette, "People do not just vanish! He has to be someplace, so go there and look!" She pointed towards the door behind the aura manipulator.

Beast Boy quickly jumped in between the two taller Titans to keep things from getting ugly, "Easy, Star. Come on. This is Robin we're talking about." Beast Boy said, holding his hands up to her, "I'm sure he's fine. He'll probably turn up any second." The sound of the door mechanism kicking into gear one more time caught their attention again, "Awesome timing!"

"Robin!" Starfire cheered as she flew towards the door. Once she landed in front of it, she walked toward the threshold to see who had arrived. A moment later, the whole entrance disappeared in a mighty crash that threw her backwards, past the rest of team. The Titans' eyes went wide as they saw the HIVE team walking in as the dust cleared; Gizmo had fixed his mechanical spider legs and was using them to stand.

"Oh no." Beast Boy cried as Mammoth cracked his knuckles with a mischievous grin.

"Oh _yes_." Jinx returned with a smirk.

"You guys got lucky last time, but you're in _our_ house now!" Cyborg growled as he and the other Titans got ready to fight, Kylar buckling Robins' belt around his waist again.

"Yeah, nice place." The bald midget chuckled as the trio advanced, "We'll take it!"

Quickly, the Titans jumped back to avoid an explosion from one of the cat-eyed sorceress' hexes, causing dust to fill the corridor. When the view cleared, Raven levitated chairs and sent them in the HIVE's direction, while Starfire tossed off some starbolts from overhead. Beast Boy tumbled across the floor before clambering away from laser shots fired from the whiz kid, leaving room for Cyborg and Kylar to offer suppressing fire.

"Split up!" The robotic Titan shouted, firing his cannon at the trio while the brunette chucked aura spheres.

As Raven flew to a landing on the stairs, with Starfire flying past her, she projected a couple of nearby fire extinguishers toward the brown-haired meathead. Unfortunately, the attack had no effect as he merely swatted them away as he charged the girls.

Inside a different hallway, Beast Boy and Kylar were dodging a volley of collapsing wall panels. Kylar looked to the side to see some debris about to fall on his green comrade and, without thinking, grabbed his arm and threw him forward. The collapsing panels missed the changeling, but the brunette wasn't so lucky as he fell through a hole when the debris fell on him. "Ky!" Beast Boy cried as he looked down the hole, preparing to jump after him. Before he jumped, a pink wave of energy flew past him, causing more of the Towers' architecture to fall from the ceiling. With a cry, the green teen transformed into a bobcat and leapt through the slabs of metal.

"Here, kitty, kitty." Jinx called out as she stepped unhurriedly after him, "What's the matter? Afraid of a little bad luck?" She taunted as she caused more panels to explode from the walls.

0-0

Inside the Tower gym, Raven and Starfire burst through the closed doors before slamming them shut again, hoping to keep their pursuer at bay for the time being. The auburn-haired alien fired a beam of her energy against the frame of the door, welding it shut. The two girls took a step back and traded a very nervous look, wondering whether the barricade would hold. It proved to be a moot point when the wall behind them blew out, throwing them to the floor. Looking back, they found Mammoth's head protruding from a fresh hole he just made by delivering a mother of a head-butt.

"Hello, ladies." The juggernaut said calmly before bursting through the wall with the rest of his body at the two females.

0-0

Kylar found himself buried beneath steel beams and pieces of rebar. Engulfing his arms and legs with aura, the brunette blasted the debris in front of him, creating an opening for him to walk out. Dusting his jacket as he looked around, he noticed he was in a dimly lit room with large crates stacked high and casting shadows around him.

"Great, the storage room…" He sighed as he looked up at the hole he fell through. '_I hope the others are okay._' He thought as he formed energy around his feet, readying himself to fly back through the hole. Before he took off, three projectiles whizzed past his head, hitting the crate behind him. First glancing at the crate, he saw three shurikens stuck in the wood, then looking in the direction they came from, he saw a figure in one of the shadows, the right eye being the only thing the brunette could discern clearly.

When the figure stepped into the light, Kylar saw a _girl_ probably around his age wearing black leather armor around her forearms and chest that cut at her midriff, held up by gray trim around her shoulders. She wore black legging that connected with her black combat boots with gray trim, and a gray utility belt around her waist. He noticed the female also wore, what he thought was, pale blue mesh that covered her midriff and any other exposed part of her upper body such as her biceps, shoulders, and hands that really showed off her thin, womanly figure. The upper half of her face was covered by a dual-colored bandana that reached down to her nose and over her ears; orange on the right side, black on the left. Long white hair flowed from the back of her head while two katanas were held with straps on her back.

"No, don't tell me there're actually _four_ of you." Kylar sighed in an annoyed tone, "Where were you when the _first_ attack happened?" The girl didn't respond, she only drew her weapons as she walked closer and closer to the brunette, "Not much of a talker, huh? Fine, but you wouldn't challenge an unarmed opponent, would you?" He asked with an innocent grin as he closed his eyes. This seemed to cause the female to think for a moment as she stopped advancing. The next thing Kylar noticed was one of the katanas thrown next to him, protruding from the crate he was in front of, "I see you have more honor than your teammates." He said as he pulled the sword from its resting place with his right hand, "I prefer spears, but I guess this'll do." He replied as an evil grin stretched across his face. When the brunette removed the sword, he stuck his left hand out with its back to his opponent and flicked his fingers towards himself. The white-haired teen rushed him as he formed purplish-black aura around his arms, along with the sword in his hand.

0-0

Things on the bionic Titans side seemed to be going much better as _he_ was actually chasing the genius runt through the halls. Gizmo was fleeing from the African teen by using his long metal legs to keep distance between them. As he passed a door, Gizmo opened it and quickly scurried in as the doors shut behind him. Cyborg peeked out from around a corner across the hall to scout the area, only to find no one there. When he got to the door Gizmo hid behind, the metallic teen opened it and peered in carefully before boldly stepping inside. Except for the light spilling from the hall, the room was completely dark. The blackness became total when the door slid shut without warning.

"Hey!" Cyborg shouted in response, however his attention was drawn to a wall of TV screens that came to life, every one showing a close-up of the bald runts' grinning visage.

"So, Tin Man, you got a heart under all that outdated crud-ware?" Gizmos' faces asked through all the screens. With a growl, the African teen turned his back to the wall, only to be greeted by a single giant screen, which also projected the midgets' face. "Not telling? Guess I'll have to take you apart and find out!"

At the last words, Cyborg heard the whirring of metal as he turned around and saw the whiz kid's spider legs carry him into the light cast from the screens and lower the runt steadily towards him.

0-0

Beast Boy was running for his life down an empty hall. Back in his human form, the green changeling had retreated into the higher floors of the tower. Rounding a corner of the hallway before looking behind him, he stopped to catch his breath when he saw no one in sight. "Lost her." He said through measured breaths. Unfortunately, the young Titan spoke too soon as a couple of pink waves of energy flew by his head and crashed into the ceiling above him. A panel swung loose and cracked him dead in the face, causing his head to rattle on his neck for a moment before collapsing to the ground.

"This just isn't your lucky day." The HIVE sorceress said as she approached him from behind. Beast Boy quickly sat up and rubbed his head before transforming into a tyrannosaurus rex. Jinx performed a few backflips to space herself from the dinosaur who roared with enough force to shake the entire building. When she landed, she stared at him with glowing pink eyes. Around the green reptile, a ring of pink fire flared up briefly and floated towards his head before disappearing. A loud crackling from the floor could be heard before the section beneath Beast Boy collapsed, causing the dinosaur to morph back into the green teen and scream as he dropped from sight.

0-0

The sound of steel striking steel could be heard as Kylar and the white-haired, armored teen clashed throughout the storage area. Neither fighter seemed to have a clear advantage as both seemed to be weary from the physical strain on their bodies. The dim lighting truly showing off each of their figures as the sparks generated from the clashing blades flashed light for but a brief second when they came together.

As the orange and black masked female swung at the Titan, Kylar jumped back and landed in a crouch, breathing heavily as a result of the fighting. "You're pretty good." He said through labored breaths, "I guess you're the ace in the hole for the team, right?" The white-haired girl didn't reply. Instead, she charged the black-jacketed teen and swung her sword down at him. Kylar blocked horizontally, keeping her standing in front of him. He could hear heavy breathing coming through her nose when she was near. Kicking her back, Kylar leapt into the air and formed aura around his right arm and the sword and slashed through the air, sending a blade of purplish-black energy at the girl. The girl landed in a crouch as she saw the energy coming at her. She quickly dove to the right before reaching into a pouch on her belt and throwing something at her opponent.

When the objects reached their target, they exploded in a large cloud of dust, blocking Kylars' line of sight. "Now you're using tricks? This keeps getting _more_ and _more_ fun." He said sarcastically as he saw the villainess' shadow leap through the smoke at him. He brought his blade up and blocked the horizontal swing she sent at him, pushing her back with his strength when she landed.

"WHAAAAAAA!" A voice cried out, causing Kylar to get a bit distracted as he looked in the direction he heard the noise.

Noticing his lack of focus, the armored teen quickly kicked her leg up at the brunettes' hand, knocking the sword out of his grip. Following with a kick to the stomach to knock him back, she grabbed the other sword before it hit the ground and continued her barrage of attacks on the Titan; swinging both swords at him as he tried desperately to dodge each swing.

Getting pushed back against the wall, Kylar ducked as she stabbed both swords into the wall, causing both of them to get stuck. He took this chance to form aura around his arms and hold them forward. With a yell, he released the energy and pushed his opponent back with a pulse that caused her to skid across the ground.

Kylar stood up and saw his opponent not moving when she came to a stop, "Looks like… I win…" He sighed through heavy breaths. '_Gotta find the others._' He thought as he finally caught his breath. Before he could leave, however, the sounds of pins hitting the ground reached his ears. He turned to see the white-haired girl standing again and throwing what looked like grenades at him. "Oh sh-" –_**KABOOM**_-

0-0

Elsewhere, a large circular hatchway was smashed off its hinges by a large metallic teen as he entered the storage area the door blocked, a large dust of smoke behind him as he walked. However, he was not alone as a bald midget walking on metal spider legs came out of the dust and approached him. Cyborg steadily retreated as his opponent came closer and closer. Gizmo swung one of his metal legs at the Titan when he was close enough, only for the bionic teen to catch the end with both hands.

"Gotcha!" Cyborg smirked as he pulled the runt closer to him. Gizmo only returned that smirk as he swung another metal leg at him. The Titan shifted his grip to free up one hand and catch the other leg as well, and with a good strong wrenching motion, he threw the little jerk off balance and sent him to the floor. When he hit, sparks flew from the central unit on his back before his metal legs were yanked free and then held aloft by the chuckling Titan as he pulled the backpack off.

"Let me go, you scuzz-muching zit!" Gizmo yelled angrily as he swung at the air in front of his opponent.

At the order, Cyborg put the small kid down as he crushed the device. The big guy tossed the remains aside like a candy wrapper as Gizmo ran off among the crates and boxes, "How you gonna fight me without your tech?" the African Titan taunted as he walked after him at a leisurely pace.

A small, shadowy figure passed in front of him, and he went after it. Cyborg seemed very pleased as he hoisted a panel from a crate and saw the bald runt beneath him, however that happy look quickly disappeared as he looked down in surprise at the sound of a crunch. "Huh?" On the floor, Cyborgs' foot came down on a flashlight-like unit and damaged it somewhat. Looking up again, he saw Gizmo's image grin and then flicker out, revealing it to be a hologram projection. The metallic Titan backed away cautiously, only for the real Gizmo to perch himself on his back and bring a screwdriver on his back. "Yo, what are you-"

The sound of a panel popping open cut him off as the gadget genius went to work on the circuitry underneath. "Get out of my systems! Nobody hacks my systems!" Cyborg cried through strained grunts as he ran back and forth against his will due to the hotwiring. Suddenly, he stopped running around and raised his right arm horizontally.

"Ooh, ejector arm. Cool!" The tiny hacker eagerly cheered as he tampered with more wiring. In the next second Cyborgs' arm shot off; hand, forearm, and half the upper arm.

"My arm!" The metallic teen cried as he watched his separated appendage roll uselessly away across the floor.

0-0

From the exterior of the Tower, one could see the building shake and bend as the fighting from each of the groups raged on. What could be heard next was the screaming from Cyborg as he flew off the roof as if shot from a cannon and falling down in the middle of Jump City Bay. Another set of yells and four more splashes marked the forcible eviction of Beast Boy, Kylar, Raven, and Starfire. Inside the Tower, the HIVE team could be seen looking out from the top-floor window of the operations center.

"Have a nice afterlife, you snot-eating losers!" The gadget-using midget called out as his pink-haired teammate threw a spell at the water in front of their defeated targets. The hex stirred up a huge tidal wave that left the five some completely motionless as they watched it come over them, eventually crashing down on them and sweeping them into the current. The HIVE operatives only smiled smugly before walking away from the window.

0-0

On the north side of Jump City Bay, two seagulls were perched on pilings next to a deserted rock that rose from the water. Kylar leapt out of the bay, carrying Raven bridal-style, and landed on the rock, causing the birds to fly away.

"Are you ok?" He asked, breathing heavily as he helped the mage stand.

"_***Cough* ***__**Cough**__*****_ Yeah… I'm fine." She replied as she began wringing the water out of her cloak.

With a nod, Kylar dove back into the water. The next time he came out, he supported Starfire under her arm as he brought her to the rock. Then he brought Beast Boy out over his shoulder and placed him on the ground. Before he could dive back in for his last teammate, he saw Cyborg pulling himself out. He quickly ran over to pull the rest of him out of the water and threw the larger Titans' remaining arm over his shoulder.

"So, uh… who else never wants to go surfing again?" Beast Boy asked as he wrung some of the water out of his magenta and black jumpsuit.

"Not now, man." Cyborg replied in a really annoyed tone as he removed his arm from the brunette and sat on the ground. Kylar began shaking his head to get the water out of his hair.

"Hey, I was just trying to-" The green teen tried to defend himself, only for Raven to put a hand on his shoulder to cut him off.

Cyborg extended a small acetylene torch from his left forefinger as a panel on his left thigh opened to reveal a plethora of sparks and short circuits.

"Perhaps I could be of some assistance." Starfire said as she approached the damaged cyborg.

"I got it." He replied evenly as he sparks flew from his thigh as he brought the torch to the circuitry.

"But you are so damaged and-"

"I _got it_!" The African bionic rounded on her, causing the orange-skinned Titan to gasp.

"Hey! She only wanted to help!" Beast Boy yelled back in Starfire's defense, "What is your _problem_?"

Cyborg stood up and turned to face the shorter changeling, "What do you _think_?" He asked angrily as he leaned over his teammate, "We got kicked out of our house, a pint-sized _Poin_dexter took me for a joyride, and in case you haven't _noticed_, I just became left-handed!" He gestured to his right nub.

"Enough!" Raven yelled, trying to ease the tension, "We need to control our emotions."

"Or _what_? Our bad _vibes_ will keep you from meditating?" Cyborg returned.

"I wish Robin were here." Starfire sighed sadly.

"Well, he's _not_!" Cyborg yelled as he looked back to the large ruined **T** in the distance, "Don't you guys get it? They won, we lost. _IT'S OVER_!" He shouted as he walked to the edge of the rock.

At the bionic Titans words, the other four heroes slumped in defeat as they joined their fifth teammate in staring at their captured home. "Then… the Teen Titans are finished?" Beast Boy asked with a tone of despair in his voice.

Kylar glanced down at the green teen before looking behind them. "No, not yet." He said with a determined smile, earning him confused looks from the other four.

When they looked in the direction the brunette was looking, color them surprised when they saw none other than their spiky-haired leader standing before them, arms crossed, confident smile on his face, and cape waving in the breeze. Except for his missing belt, everything was in proper order.

"Not if I can help it." Robin said as he walked to his team.

With a smile, Kylar unbuckled the utility belt he had around his waist and tossed it to the masked teen, "I was wondering when you'd show up." He remarked as Robin caught his possession.

"Let's show them what _true_ teamwork looks like." Robin said as he fastened the yellow belt around his waist.

0-0

The following evening, the new occupants started extensive renovations of the Tower, as follows. One, the vertical bar of the **T** had been extended. Two, the lights in one half of the crossbar top floor had been put out. Three, a second vertical portion had been built to join with the half that was still lit, reaching the same height as the central extension. The entire effect of the changes was to make the lighted Tower portions and new construction look like a giant **H** for HIVE, and the honeycomb pattern had been applied to the add-ons as well.

Inside the Tower, two small spherical robots whizzed across the wall in the Ops Center, holding an oval-shaped wooden plaque with Cyborg's detached right arm mounted on it like a fish. "Higher… a little to the left… a little more… and…" Gizmo was ordering the robots before he held both of his thumbs up, "…perfect!" He smiled cheekily as he looked at the mounting on the wall. "Slade's gonna have _kittens_ when he hears we whipped the Titans and took their stinking Tower!" He cheered as he walked away.

Among him, inside the Main Operations Center, Mammoth was looking in the fridge in the kitchen, while the sliding doors opened to admit Jinx into the room. The pink-haired sorceress was holding Kylar's spear under her arm, his small, wooden music box in her hand, and one of Raven's spare cloaks over her arm. "Not to mention some of their interesting possessions," She commented as she opened the music box, the chiming of a tune filled the air when she did, "I can't say the same for their fashion, though." She said as she looked at the blue cloak.

"_Tell_ me about it." The genetically enhanced giant said as he pulled out a moldy hamburger from the fridge, "Hmph. All their food is _way_ out of date." This realization did not stop him from tossing said food into his mouth and swallowing it in one gulp.

"You think that stuff's rotten?" Gizmo said holding up a CD, "Wait 'til you see their music." He tossed the disk aside before continuing his review of the music in a case, "Crud… snot… mega-crud… snot…" He muttered between tosses of CDs.

At this moment, the middle finger of Cyborg's bionic arm pulled loose of the hand, remaining connected to it by two thin jointed armatures. It swiveled around to show a tiny camera lens inside, and with a brief change in focus, continued swiveling as it scanned the room. It fixed itself on the pink-haired HIVE operative, who had put on Raven's cloak. "Does she have anything that's not blue?" She asked as she inspected herself with a hand mirror, the spear she was holding now propped against the wall. Continuing its scan, the finger panned to see Mammoth gorging himself on the spoiled food in the fridge and Gizmo at the CD rack tossing disks he didn't like behind him before stopping its scan at one of the computer consoles.

The bionic armed hopped off the wall and scuttled across the ground when it landed, using its remaining fingers as its mode of transportation. Weaving between and around the HIVE operatives before stopping near one of the consoles, the arm jumped into the seat in front of the screen. Once it situated itself, thin tentacles flew out from the joint where the limb connected to the stump of Cyborg's natural arm. The extensions quickly went to work on the keyboard and pulled up schematics for the Tower on the screen as it tapped the keys. Piece by piece, the diagram went red. When the entire picture went red, the screen winked out and alarms and buzzers started to sound, accompanied by red flashing lights throughout the operations center.

Jinx gasped as she threw the cloak aside while Mammoth stood up from the fridge. All the cabinet doors in the kitchen started opening and closing at random. The next thing that surprised them was the CD rack ejecting disks, one right after the other, towards the bald runt at high speeds.

"Hey!" Gizmo cried as each disk flew past him. However, this was the only intelligible word he could utter before trailing off into surprised yells and losing his balance, causing him to tumble on the floor. He slid backwards as the rack continued its impression of a skeet-shooting target launcher. When he crawled back more, he bumped into the back of the chair in front of the console, which swiveled around to face him. He looked up to see Cyborgs' robotic arm glare at him from up on the chair, "What the hairball?" The mini gadget genius cried as tentacles shot forth from the arm and wrapped around his arms and legs. The bionic limb humped down from the chair and sped across the floor dragging one very surprised pipsqueak as he struggled to get free, and popped a couple of small jet thrusters out from its forearm. These ignited and carried it into the air as the hand balled into a fist as it aimed itself toward the ceiling and carried Gizmo with it.

Jinx and Mammoth could hear their teammates' cries grow weaker and weaker as he was dragged away through the tower to who knows where. However, they soon realized they were in trouble as well when a large shadowy hand reached down behind Jinx and seized her. The charm caster only had time for one startled cry before the hand receded into the ceiling and disappearing from sight, taking her with it.

The only one left was the muscular bruiser standing in the kitchen. He noticed the sliding doors opening and looked around the room nervously before he was caught by surprise by a pillar of purplish-black flames that slammed him against the ceiling. On his way down, a starbolt rocketed towards him and struck the big lug through the open door before closing behind him.

0-0

On the roof of the Tower, a large black raven emerged from the surface and rose into the air after dropping the pink-haired teen on her knees. Behind her, Cyborg's arm burst out of a vent pipe and carried the screaming midget higher and higher before veering back towards his classmate. Jinx gasped in shock while her eyes widened before Gizmo crashed into her, sending both rolling across the roof and the wooden music box flying away from her. Having released the tiny teen, the arm flew away, and the closed door of the stairs leading up to the roof slid open. With a green flash from inside, Mammoth flew out from the door, sliding across the roof before stopping where the other two HIVE agents were.

"Sorry to interrupt the victory celebration." The three villains heard a voice come from behind them. They turned around to see Robin and Kylar standing with their arms crossed, "But like I said, this isn't over." Robin finished.

Kylar picked up his music box that was at his feet, "Not by a long shot." He added as he put the trinket into his jacket pocket. The other Titans soon arrived to join the two, Cyborg reattaching his arm when it flew back to him.

"Attack Pattern Alpha!" Jinx ordered as the trio stood up. When she finished, Gizmo and Mammoth scattered while she threw a spell. The Titans scrambled to avoid the explosion caused when the hex struck the rooftop.

Beast Boy came down from his jump only to find Mammoth coming straight at him with his arms raised in a double axe handle. He jumped away again and turned into a hawk as the giant slammed his fists onto the roof, send a shockwave towards Cyborg. Jinx landed behind the metallic teen and vaulted high over his shoulders, hurling a spell down at him as she sailed through the air. The spell knocked out the base of a water tank and caused the whole thing to topple down towards him, only for him to dive out of the way just in time before a second tank collapsed nearby.

In midair, Starfire threw a few starbolts at the HIVE sorceress, who nimbly dodged them and ducked out of sight behind part of the new construction while the Tamaranean flew after her.

Cyborg stood up next to the debris of the tower and looked around himself a bit, realizing everything was clear around him. But that changed quickly when Gizmo jumped down from the fallen water tank and landed on his back.

"Hey, Robo-Wimp." The bald midget cackled as he pulled out a screwdriver, "Feel like getting hacked?"

"Nope. How 'bout you? Robin! Now!" Cyborg called out, confusing the tiny hacker on his back. In mid-leap, Robin threw a small device that attached itself to the machinery on the device on Gizmos' back, causing sparks to fly from it.

"Cut it out!" The runt yelled in pain and frustration, "It's gonna crash my whole system!" He ripped off his shoulder-mounted laser as he ran around the roof, "Get if off me! Get it off me!" As he continued scrambling about, Robin's device triggered the jet pack setting, igniting and carrying the poor kid high into the sky.

Inside the renovated enhancements to the tower, Jinx was running like made between the scaffolding to avoid getting fried by Starfire's continued bombardment.

"Beast Boy! Go!" The alien Titan called out when Jinx was in the perfect position under the scaffolding.

Crouching on an overhead girder, the green teen gave his friend a toothy grin and a two fingered salute before diving from his perch and transforming into a monkey that attached itself squarely on the face of the fleeing girl when she made it into a framework of pipes. Unable to see, the villainess fired spells in all directions in an attempt to get him off. Finally, she yanked him off her face and threw him across the roof.

"Your luck just ran out!" Beast Boy smirked when he reverted back to human form before touching down. Getting a running start, he became a hawk again and flew into the open sky, leaving a very puzzled pink-haired HIVE agent.

"Huh?" Was the only thing Jinx could mutter before creaks and groans from the pipework caught her attention. Looking around, she noticed, one by one, the of the pipes started popping as a result of getting hit by the spells she threw around carelessly. The sound of a nervous little shudder was all she could manage as the pipes began bursting and collapsing around her.

0-0

Back on the main roof, Mammoth was sprinting across the Tower as he advanced on Raven. He aimed a colossal punch at her, but missed as she flew into the air to avoid the attack, landing a good distance behind him. When he turned to charge again, Kylar rammed a shoulder into him, knocking him off balance. The brunette then followed the attack with jump kick that sent the enhanced giant skidding across the roof. Once he stopped and stood back up, he turned around to come face to face with Beast Boy… as a T-rex. One snarl was all it took to make the overgrown villain completely freak out and run for his life. As he ran, Starfire gathered all her strength for a starbolt and released it, hitting Mammoth dead center in the gut. The hit left the juggernaut spinning in the air as Robin and Kylar made a mad dash towards him. Kylar quickly pulled ahead before kneeling on the ground and Robin leapt from his back like a platform as he sent one mighty flying kick that connected with Mammoth's face, driving him back into Jinx. Soon after, Gizmo fell from the sky and landed on top of the big lummox, all three of them in a weary, groaning pile.

"Cram it." The kid cried as he pulled out a transmitter, "I'm calling Slade."

Robin grabbed the small midget by the collar, or at least the part of the jumpsuit around his collar, "Who is Slade?" The masked Titan demanded as he yanked him to eye level.

"Wouldn't _you_ like to know, barf-brain?" Gizmo chuckled, the look on his face made it clear he was not going to answer.

0-0

Inside a darkened lair, the shadowy figure sat on a black throne, looking down at the HIVE's Headmistress as she approached.

"I assure you, such failures are _not_ tolerated within the HIVE." The aging woman began, "Once the agents have been retrieved from the authorities, they _will_ be disciplined." She socked her right fist into her left palm, "_Strictly_ disciplined."

The figure stood from its throne and walked onto a platform that lowered itself to the Headmistress' level, "Actually, your agents served my plans quite well." The shadow said when it reached her, "I never expected them to succeed. They were merely messengers. And the message…" The shadow held up its left hand to reveal a transmitter similar to the one Gizmo carried, "…has been received."

Activating the transmitter, the monitor behind the Headmistress turned on and projected an image of Robin. "_Who is Slade?_" The image repeated over and over. Soon after, more and more images of different sizes slowly appeared around the previous image. That three-word question was repeated countless times by every image. If Slade's intent was to bring his name to the Titans' attention, then the HIVE crew certainly did meet his expectations.

With a bow, the HIVE Headmistress took her leave as the images of Robin began shutting off. No longer asking the question, one final projection of the Boy Wonder was the only source of light in the darkened lair, silhouetting the armored shadow as he stared at the image.

"Ravager. I'm glad you're back." The shadow said in a very calm and measured tone as a thinner and smaller shadow walked into the light cast by the screen. "Now tell me everything you learned on your little trip." With those words, the final screen shut off, casting the entire lair in complete darkness.

0-0

Things were back to normal for the Titans. They had retaken their home, the modifications made to the exterior of the Tower had been taken down, any damages caused by the fighting that occurred were quickly fixed and replaced thanks to the Justice League and Wayne Enterprises, and no one got seriously hurt. Perhaps now they could enjoy some peace and quiet…

"NOOOO! This is the worst thing that could ever happen!" Beast Boy cried with his hands on his head, ready to pull his green hair out, "My tunes! They've been… _alphabetized_!" He cringed at the word as he began tossing CDs around the Ops Center. Cyborg was hard at work looking high and low for something, much like he was a few days earlier. "How am I ever gonna _find_ anything?" The green teen added as he continued rearranging his disks. Robin was standing behind the couch, watching the two as they scurried around the Common Room.

The doors to the room slid open as Raven entered, carrying the cloak Jinx '_borrowed_.' "They went into my room. No one should _ever_ go into my room." The mage hissed icily as her grip on the cloak tightened.

In the kitchen, Kylar was restocking the refrigerator with groceries he bought earlier. "Someone has disposed of all our blue furry food!" Starfire gasped as she looked into the fridge from behind her black-jacketed teammate.

Kylar chuckled a bit, "Don't worry, Star, we could always grow more if we wanted to." He said as he continued filling the fridge with non-moldy foods.

"You gotta be _kidding_ me!" Cyborg groaned as he lifted the couch, "The whole place gets cleaned and I _still_ can't find the-" A whistle from Robin stopped him short. He glanced back to see the Boy Wonder pointed down towards the couch. Looking in the direction he pointed, Cyborg saw what he had been searching for, the missing remote lying on the coffee table. "Ha!" The bionic Titan cheered as he dropped the couch and sat down on it with Robin as he began flipping through channels. "I guess we really oughta be training for battles, tracking down clues, and trying to figure out who Slade is, huh?" He asked as the other Titans gathered around the couch.

"Don't forget the mysterious _fourth_ enemy that invaded the Tower." Kylar added as he hopped the back of the couch and took a seat next to the metallic teen.

"Yeah, that too." Cyborg said.

"We will. But right now, I'm just happy to be part of the team." Robin said with a smile.

With smiles and nods from the others, Robin continued scanning through channels as they all enjoyed the peace and some well earned rest.

* * *

**"The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team." **

**-Phil Jackson**

**Author's Notes:**

Oh my god! Praise whatever divine powers exist that I got this done! I thought I'd never get it finished.

**I'm so sorry this came out so late, I thought this would come out much earlier than whenever this is getting posted. Thank you all for waiting and I hope you find it entertaining and such. **

**Fun Fact: Did you know in the cartoon, Slade was voiced by Ron Perlman? For those who don't know, Ron Perlman does the "War never changes" Monologues in Fallout 3 and New Vegas. If you still don't know, he is probably most known for being Hellboy in the movies. If you still don't know, Ron Perlman is the leader biker in the show Sons of Anarchy. If you still don't know, then I can't help you. I'm sorry.**

**For those of you who come to the end and read the Author's Notes, I thank you so, so much, this story would be nothing without you, thank you for coming and reading it. For those who don't, I still thank you because, hopefully, you still read the chapter.**

**Don't forget to write a review if you want to, it would help me out... I think. If you have any suggestions or questions, PM me and let me know your thoughts, I'd love to hear them.**

**Also, I never read the comics, so I am going to need some help on some of the things the characters that only came from the comics would do. For example, Ravager, I don't know her mannerisms, so I just left her silent this chapter... I may have also shot myself in the foot by including her, but oh well.  
**

**Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but I changed when Cyborg said Gotham to Vegas because I thought Jump was located in California, and Gotham in New Jersey. That's the main reason I changed it.**

**Again, thank you all for your support. Until next time, See You Space Cowboys.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the DC Universe nor do I own anything from Teen Titans. Any other references made in the chapter belong to their respective owners, again I own nothing.**


	6. Forces of Nature

There is something truly beautiful about the starry night sky. When looking at those white dots shining through that eternally darkened background, one can stare out into the cosmos and truly find peace. However, this evening in Jump City, no such luxury could be received as the night sky was filled with dark thunderhead clouds with flashes of lightning illuminating their contours. Among the masses of condensed water vapor, a bulky silhouette stood and began swinging a pair of sticks against its surroundings; every time it brought them down, another strike and thunderclap sounded throughout the sky. In another patch of sky, where even more lightning crackled back and forth, a second silhouette, much thinner and with spiky upswept hair, stood and directed its hands from side to side, causing a new flash every time it did so.

As the silhouette continued, a flash of lightning cracked across the sky above the giant T in Jump City Bay, where things were beginning to get lively. Inside the main hallway, a green buffalo strained mightily at a rubber band looped over its horns, trying to catch it on a nearby hook. Once the band reached, the animal transformed to reveal Beast Boy with a mischievous smile stretched across his face.

"This is gonna be sweet!" The changeling chuckled wickedly as he held up a large, filled water balloon in his hands.

"What are you doing?" He heard a voice ask from behind him. Surprised by the words, he let go of the balloon and completely freaked out as he tried desperately to make a safe catch. Safely grabbing it with a sigh, Beast Boy turned around to see Raven standing behind him, "Please tell me this isn't another ridiculous prank." She stated evenly as she crossed her arms.

"Okay. It's not a ridiculous prank. It's a _brilliant_ one!" The green teen laughed, only to be met with the mage rolling her eyes wearily at him. "All right, check it out. 'Member how Cyborg and Kylar put red dye in my shampoo and I turned brown for two days?" A thought balloon appeared above his head as he described the situation, showing the hapless victim-tinted brown, holding a scrub brush, in towel, shower cap, and slippers-standing while the other Titans scrolled past and laughed at him. "Well, sister, it's payback time." He said as he reached toward the ceiling and grabbed a string that was hanging, "I give you… the Beast Boy Insta-Lube 9000!"

As he said the name, he pulled the string, bringing down a blueprint with a diagram that showed the rubber band, which was part of a floor-mounted slingshot, held back by the hook and with the balloon loaded in. A tripwire in front of the rig ran through overhead pulleys and tied to a lever that was in turn connected to the hook.

"See, when Chrome-Dome and Mop-Top step around the corner, their feet tug the string." Beast Boy explained as he pointed to each portion of the blueprint, "The string trips the lever, the lever releases the mother of all rubber bands, which sends a balloon-load of motor oil flying right at them, and BOOSH!" He exclaimed as the blueprint rolled back up to the ceiling, "Pretty cleaver, huh?" He smirked as he loaded the balloon into the rubber band.

"You're a genius." Raven replied sarcastically as she shook her head.

"It's just a little good clean _dirty_ fun." The changeling chuckled. The sound of a door sliding open caused his ears to perk up. "Here they come." He said as he ducked around the corner of the hall.

The mage was about to walk away from the green prankster, but a gray-gloved hand grabbed her cloak and whisked her behind the corner as well, "Whoa!" She cried as she was forced to duck around the corner, "I don't think-"

"Shhh!"

"But what if-"

"Shhh!" Beast Boy cut his teammate off again as he looked around the corner.

"Why are we hiding?" The two of them heard another voice whisper from behind.

"Shhh!" The green changeling shushed again. However, his eyes instantly went as wide as saucers upon realizing that Cyborg was hunched down behind both him and the mage. "Cyborg?! You can't be Cyborg!" He cried as he jumped up.

"I can't?" The metallic teen asked.

"No, no… It's ok." Beast Boy sighed, trying to calm himself, "Ky is still coming down the hall."

"Hey gang, I'm back with the sodas." The three Titans heard. They turned around to see their black-jacketed teammate walking through a sliding door with a smile on his face, holding two cases of soda and an extra bag of what looked to be machine parts, "What'd I miss?"

Beast Boy gaped at the sight of Kylar also not being anywhere near the drop zone for his prank, "If you guys are here, then who's…" He trailed off as he turned to look down the hall. Once he looked, he saw a violet boot step out from around the corner and step onto the tripwire. As a result, the string is pulled taut, moving the lever, and releasing the hook that held the rubber band in place. "NOOOOOOOO!" The failed prankster cried as he jumped at the balloon in a frantic attempt to stop it, the flow of time seemed to have slowed down as the projectile was propelled forward. Unfortunately, his efforts were for naught as the balloon left its base, scraping his fingertips and sailing through the air at Starfire as she rounded the corner.

"Eek!" The poor alien cried in complete surprise as the projectile collided with her face, splattering her with the viscous contents, and knocking her onto her back.

Time resumed its normal speed once the alien landed, "Starfire!" Beast Boy cried worriedly as he ran up to his orange-skinned teammate. Cyborg, Raven, and Kylar quickly rushed over to help their friend as well.

"You okay?" Cyborg asked as the oil-covered Titan propped herself up on her hands.

"This is punishment?" Starfire asked in a puzzled tone as she wiped some of the liquid from her eyes, "I did something wrong?"

"No, Star, _you_ didn't." Kylar said offering the girl a hand, his teammate taking it and standing up with his help.

"_He_ did." Raven finished, pointing to the guilty party standing behind them.

"Star! It was… you weren't supposed to… I didn't…" He tried saying something else, but disapproving stares from Cyborg, Raven, and Kylar stopped him in his tracks. "Just remember to change that oil every three thousand miles." The changeling chuckled sheepishly, only for it to die on his lips shortly after.

"On my planet, we have a name for those who do such terrible things." The normally calm and soft-spoken Titan said with steadily building rage as she leaned over her shorter teammate. "You are a… a… CLORBAG VARBLERNELK!" She shouted as her head grew many times its normal size, causing the oil to disappear from her face on the last two words. After her head shrunk back to normal, she walked away in a huff, leaving the three Titans who weren't yelled at to look on with worry.

"I'm a what-bag?" Beast Boy asked scratching the back of his head,

"You _heard_ the lady." Cyborg stated.

"You are _such_ a clorbag." Raven said as she shook her head.

"You _really_ screwed up, B." Kylar sighed, rustling the shorter Titans hair as he walked by him.

"Come on, you guys. Can't anybody take a joke?" A flash of lightning cracked across the sky, interrupting Beast Boys' fumbling attempt to defend himself.

"Titans!" The teens heard from down the hall. They turned to face the speaker and saw Robin silhouetted against the glare of the flash. "Trouble!"

0-0

It was evening. The overcast from the clouds blocked out the light of the moon making the sky darker than it normally would be. Thunder rumbling among the storm clouds created an ominous sound as lightning flashed across the sky. On a bridge across Jump City Bay, multiple cars drove along, trying to get to their destination before the apparent torrential downpour came. In another brilliant flash, a bolt of lightning came down from the heavens and struck the roadway in the path of a large semi truck. With a surprised yell, the driver of said truck slammed on his brakes as he turned his wheel sharply to the right. As a result, the truck managed to stop just short of the smoking crater caused by the lightning, but blocked the flow of traffic, creating an instant traffic jam.

As the smoke cleared from the crater, two silhouettes became visible from within, one bulky, one skinny. The last wisps evaporated to give a fully detailed view of both; they wore outfits that looked something like samurai armor, but without the upper body protection. The bulky one had blue skin and black clothing trimmed with blue along with a samurai-style helmet on his head. A thundercloud was emblazoned on his chest, and he had long black sideburns. His thinner cohort, on the other hand, had light yellow skin and hair, and his outfit was red and yellow, with a lightning bolt on his chest. A headband kept his upswept hair out of the way and a guard plate stretched down both sides his face to cover his cheeks. Both wore armbands and wrist and shin guards that accompanied their body armor.

"May we have fun here, brother?" The larger blue one asked with a smile.

"Of course!" The yellow one answered gleefully as he created a bolt between his hands, "We are Thunder and Lightning. We may do whatever we please!" He threw the bolt upwards at one of the bridges' columns, where the suspension cables were connected. Once the projectile connected, sparks flew everywhere. "Look brother! I command the sparks to dance!" He laughed as the sparks floated down around them.

"Amusing." The blue one said with a smile, "Now listen as I make music!" Clapping his hands together, the Edo-era blue being created an intense shock wave that slowly resonated outward. The bridge cables were jarred loose as a result and began to whipsaw back and forth.

The yellow one laughed as he traced a lightning bolt into the side of the semi that blocked the road, "Let all who pass this way know-Lightning was here!"

"And Thunder too!" The blue one exclaimed as he banged his fists together, knuckle to knuckle, and created an earthquake that set the stopped cars and their drivers trembling, setting off all the car alarms in the process.

"Most amusing." The yellow one, now dubbed Lightning, chuckled as he patted his brother's shoulder.

"Hate to break it to you…" A voice said, catching Thunder and Lightning by surprise as they turned and faced the truck to see the Titans standing on top of it, "…but you guys have a lousy sense of humor! This ends-_now_!"

"_No one_ gives orders to Thunder and Lightning!" The yellow being yelled, shaking his fists at the six Titans, "Taste my power!" He shouted as he threw a bolt at the truck, causing the Titans to scramble in six different directions. The bolt blew through the trailer, leaving a large hole that wiped out the graffiti from earlier. Starfire did a U-turn and flew down towards him, unleashing a barrage of starbolts at the yellow elemental. Both jumped onto a line of stopped cars and ran parallel to each other as they traded shots. The firefight continued for several dozen yards before the yellow being got in a lucky hit that knocked the Tamaranean down.

His brother, meanwhile, was mixing it up with Cyborg. As he came down on the bionic Titan with a double axe handle, Cyborg dove to the right before leaping back at him with a right hook. Dodging the punch, Thunder began a counter attack with punches of his own, leaving both bobbing and weaving through the attacks. In a last ditch effort; Cyborg grabbed the blue elementals' shoulders while his opponent did the same. Thunder pulled back his left fist and readied it for a powerful attack as the metallic teen brought his right fist back and reconfigured it into the sonic cannon. Both fists swung down and connected with each other, resulting in a shock wave that threw both fighters down the bridge in opposite directions. Cyborg landed on his back, but Thunder brought a small cloud to himself and hopped onto it to float upward.

Robin found the big blue hooligan bearing down on him and quickly leapt onto a guardrail to avoid getting hit by a thunderclap. With another leap, the masked Titan dodged a second blast that destroyed the section of rail he was crouched on. A result of the clap broke a support cable on the bridge and Robin grabbed the swinging free end that carried him away before Thunder obliterated the rest of the railing. Timing his next move carefully as the cable carried him high into the air, Robin hurled himself over the blue being. Avoiding a punch and grabbing his foe's shoulders, the spiky-haired teen threw the blue bulk off his cloud and across the pavement.

On the other side of the bridge, Kylar and Lightning were trading punches as they flew across the sky. As the brunette brought his arm around for a right hook, the yellow brother threw up his arms to block. With an electrified fist, Lightning swung his left arm in an uppercut to hit his opponent, but the black-jacketed Titan flew back before it could connect. Suddenly, Raven came from behind Kylar with a flying kick, which the supernatural barely dodged. As the blue-clad Titan continued her flurry of kicks, Kylar flew up to add a barrage of punches, causing the yellow entity to quickly back away from the two Titans. As he got clear, he shot off a bolt of lightning from both hands at the mage.

Before the attack could hit, Kylar pushed his teammate out of the way and took the full force of the shock, effectively blasting him out of the sky, off the bridge, and toward the bay underneath. "Kylar!" Raven cried out as she quickly flew after him, trying to save him from the landing.

"Ha!" The yellow brother laughed as he touched down on the ground after the mage and brunette no longer posed a threat to him. As soon as they were gone, though, a giant, green, black-spotted panda lumbered up behind him and caught the entity in a bear hug. Struggling for a moment, Lightning electrified his entire body and gave the shape-shifting Titan a few hundred thousand volts that coursed through his veins. The shock forced the poor changeling back into human form as he released his opponent, falling to the ground like a sack of rocks. "Your powers are strong, but mine are stronger!" The elemental laughed as he flew off across the bridge.

With a groan, Beast Boy sat up and rubbed his head for several seconds. However, he was caught by surprise as the shadow of the sound entity's shadow fell over him.

"Your power of the animals is impressive, green one." Thunder complimented as he summoned a blue sphere over his fists, "Rise so we may do battle."

"Why are you doing this?" The changeling asked as he stood up to face the big blue elemental.

"Because it is not sporting to attack an unready opponent." Thunder answered.

"No." Beast Boy returned, "Why are you wrecking everything?"

The supernatural sound manipulator did not seem to expect this question as he gave the green teen a very puzzled look, "Uh… because it is amusing." Was all he was able to garner as a response.

"Do _they_ look amused?" Beast Boy asked gesturing to a group of scared motorists huddled behind damaged and overturned cars.

The sight brought an attack of conscience to the blue brother as he relaxed the power in his fists, "I-"

"This isn't funny! It's wrong!" The shape-shifting Titan yelled angrily before Thunder could defend himself.

Before Beast Boy could say anything more, a lightning bolt blasted him away and its shooter jumped down next to his brother, "Ah, the thrill of victory." Lightning sighed happily as he put his arm around his blue brother's shoulders, "Come, Thunder. We shall seek more amusement." With a nod, the brothers take to the air, leaving the defeated team by themselves.

After the elemental duo left, Beast Boy sat up from a pile of rubble: dazed, disheveled, and drooling a bit. He shook his head to clear it and found Starfire floating behind him as she clutched her forearm. "Well, that was a shock." The green teen said jokingly as he caught up to the Tamaranean.

"Hmph!" She replied as she turned up her nose and floated on.

"So… I'm guessing you're still mad?" He asked: only to receive silence as an answer as they regrouped with the rest of the team.

As they approached Robin and Cyborg, they saw Raven and Kylar flying down to the team as well, the latter trying to fix his hair since the electric blast caused it to stand straight in every direction.

"Okay, team." Robin began as Starfire and Beast Boy arrived, "We have to find those guys before they do any more damage. Cyborg, search the west side. Raven, Kylar, the east. I'll take downtown." He explained, giving each Titan their orders and receiving a nod in return, "Beast Boy, you and Star scan from the skies."

The final order caused Beast Boy to look uneasily up at the partner who had just been assigned to him. She turned her back and crossed her arms when he tried looking at her, "Um… maybe Cyborg should come with me instead." The nervous green Titan offered.

Robin and Cyborg shot each other confused looks before facing the changeling again, "Cyborg can't fly." The masked teen stated.

"Oh. Yeah." Beast Boy said nervously. "But what about-"

"No." Kylar and Raven answered flatly before their green teammate could finish his sentence.

As a big drop of sweat rolled down Beast Boys' head, Cyborg approached him, "Have a nice flight, my little clorbag." The metallic Titan teased as he pinched the shorter Titans' cheek. With a groan, Beast Boy saw the rest of his team leave to their designated areas as he was left with the one person he didn't want to be with at the moment.

0-0

In an open courtyard in front of the Jump City Museum, the troublemaking brothers wasted no time in finding something else that they could have fun with as they approached a row of vertical concrete slabs where a large metal globe was mounted at the end.

"Magnificent!" The skinnier of the two cheered as he created two lightning bolts in his hands, "We can make much mischief here!" Releasing the energy from his hands, he struck the globe, causing it to roll away from its post towards one row of slabs. As it collided into the end slab, it toppled over into the next, which toppled into the next, and so on like a row of falling dominoes. "Brother! Did you see what I…" Lightning noticed his brothers' expression was one of trepidation, "Something troubles you?"

Turning to face his brother, Thunder replied, "The green one's words. He says our fun is… wrong." The blue one said with a bit of sadness in his voice.

"Wrong?" His yellow brother laughed as he threw his arm across Thunder's shoulders, "He speaks nonsense, brother! How could such amusement be wrong? The fun is only beginning." He led his brother away from the ruined courtyard to continue their fun elsewhere.

0-0

High above Jump City, Starfire was scanning the city below intently as Beast Boy, as a hawk, glided next to her. They notice the damaged courtyard of the museum as they pass overhead and quickly dove down to inspect the smashed slabs.

Having returned to his human form, Beast Boy was the first to comment on the debris, "Well, either they were just here, or this is the ugliest modern art I've ever seen." He joked, trying to lighten the alien Titans' mood.

"You are not funny. You are a clorbag varblernelk." The Tamaranean stated evenly as she walked past him.

"Come on, Star." The green teen groaned as he caught up to his upset teammate, "You can't stay mad forever. What? Do I have to do the face?" He asked with a smile as he jumped in front of her and continued walking backwards, "You _know_ you can't resist the face." In no time flat, he transformed into a small kitten with huge, shining eyes. He meowed as endearingly as he could, trying to break the cold exterior Starfire placed over herself.

After looking down at him for a long moment, the orange-skinned teen turned her nose up at the cute feline, "Hmph!" She pouted as she continued walking.

"She resisted the face!" Beast Boy gasped when he returned to human form. "Just talk to me, Star!" He cried as he ran to catch up with the girl again, "Come on, this is no fun!" He said, kneeling on the ground behind her as they reached the point where the globe was anchored.

"Wrong again, green one!" A cocky voice called out from behind them. The two Titans turned to see Thunder float down on his cloud and throw a large steel beam towards them. They also saw an equally jubilant Lightning shoot bolts of electricity at them. Reacting quickly, Starfire ran down one side of the courtyard and managed to keep just ahead of Thunder, who had jumped from his cloud and hotfooted it after her. When she reached the end of her path, she ran straight up the wall and performed a long, high backflip to come down behind him. When she landed, she threw a starbolt at the bulky blue brute.

"Ha!" The thin yellow samurai shouted as he flung a bolt at Beast Boy, only for the Titan to change into a rabbit and hop away. Lightning chased him towards the ruins of the slabs and fired again. Startled, the green rabbit transformed into a crane and flew into the sky, barely dodging the continued flurry of electricity from his opponent. Finally catching on to the pattern of attacks, Beast Boy dropped to the ground as a mouse and ran towards the electricity master, the projectiles were very easy for him to evade at that point. "Your animal forms cannot protect you forever!" The elemental laughed before getting caught by surprise by a bighorn sheep that barreled into him and sent him flying.

Nearby, Starfire flipped and leapt her way to the end of the courtyard as Thunder closed in on her. He projected a beam of energy towards her as the Titan countered with a mighty starbolt, which connected and canceled out. Soon after the beams connected, Thunder found that his opponents' energy was quickly overwhelming his.

"Huh?" The blue samurai was completely puzzled at the outcome as the green energy beam reached him and knocked him across the open expanse, landing squarely on the spot where the globe originally stood.

Beast Boy, now a giant bear, moved in on him, and Lightning took his fallen brother's place against Starfire. The ursine Titan got to his hind legs and plowed into Thunder when he stood up, driving him into the courtyard wall.

As the blue elemental slumped to the ground, the changeling transformed into his human form before running up and grabbing his collar, "I don't want to hurt you. And I don't think you want to hurt me." Beast Boy said.

"Pain does not amuse us." Thunder returned evenly.

"Could've fooled me." The green Titan said as he released his opponent's collar, "Keep playing rough, and innocent people will get hurt."

The young teens words made the big blue fellow think as he glanced over to the destroyed beams that laid about the courtyard.

In a sudden puff of smoke, a tall figure wearing long red traveling robes and a broad, flat-crowned hat appeared near a fence that separated the concrete of the courtyard from the museum lawn. The figure lowered an arm from its face, revealing long white hair blowing about an old but strong male face. Overall, the impression was vaguely Oriental, and was reinforced by a thin mustache and beard on his face. Under the shadows of his hat, only his left eye could be seen, and under the red robes, he wore black clothes. As the mysterious stranger watched the fighting, he pulled out an old wooden box on a tripod that had a hand crank on its side, very much like an old-style movie camera. With an evil smile, the sorcerer began turning the crank, which caused the cover on the camera to fall away and expose a camera lens that glowed red, then white.

"Huh?" Beast Boy and Thunder uttered as they felt the ground tremble beneath them. Before they could figure out what was happening, a broad energy beam shot past them from the camera and smashed cleanly through the intact row of concrete slabs.

The attack barely missed Starfire and Lightning, who had broken from their duel to avoid the beam. As the debris from the destroyed slabs came crashing down, the yellow entity sidestepped quickly out of harms way, but the Tamaranean was not so lucky as a shower of ruined stonework came straight down toward her.

"Star!" The changeling cried as he ran over to the pile of debris, only for more stones to crumble, burying him underneath as well.

0-0

Thunder and Lightning, two brothers who had come from the heavens to bask in the merriment that could be had on Earth had come to realize fear as they backed away from the piles of destruction the newcomer had just brought about.

"Your gifts are you own." The two elemental entities heard an elderly, yet calm, voice echo through the air, "Who are they to tell you how to use them?"

"And who are you that commands such power? Show yourself!" Lightning demanded as the dust from the destruction of the concrete slabs started clearing.

"As you wish." The voice echoed as the haze parted to reveal the old sorcerer standing within. "I am but a humble old man-" He said as he placed the camera he used to fire the energy beam in his cloak, "-whose power is drawn from nature, like your own. Come with me, and sow as much destruction as you please." The mysterious man turned away from the two brothers after beckoning them to follow.

"Yes! More fun!" The yellow being cheered as he rushed to follow the old man; however, a larger blue hand on his shoulder stopped his advancements. He glanced back to see Thunder was restraining him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Will we harm anyone?" The bulky blue giant asked worriedly.

"What?" Lightning asked with a puzzled look on his face, "The green one has poisoned your mind."

"This destruction…" Thunder began in a dejected tone, "…will we harm the innocent?"

"Would it matter if you did?" The sorcerer asked evenly, "You are unique. Gifted. _Better_. Why should anything interfere with your enjoyment?" He turned to leave the courtyard, "I am going. Follow, if you wish."

As the mysterious old man left the area, the yellow prankster soon followed, "Come, brother, and leave your foolish thoughts behind." He called back to his blue brother before fully departing.

Thunder took a few steps after them, but stopped to look back at the pile of crumbled stone. After a moment, he turned back around and ran to catch up with the other two.

0-0

At the surface of the wreckage of one of the piles, a small green spider scuttled out of a hole in the pile and jumped to the ground. Once it landed, the spider transformed to reveal Beast Boy, back in his human form.

"Star? Starfire? Where are you?" The changeling called out in a worried tone as he approached the pile again, "Come on! Gimme a sign here!" He quickly began digging through the pile by tossing pieces of debris away. "You have to be all right, okay? 'Cause I-it was just a joke, you know? Back at the Tower, and I'm sorry. I never said it, but I'm really, really sorry. It was supposed to be funny. And you could've been hurt, and…" He stopped his apology for a second as he strained to lift a good-sized fragment before finally getting it clear of the pile, "…I'm a total clorbag." He admitted softly as he slumped to the ground.

As he moped, a tall shadow fell over him, catching his attention, "Huh?" He muttered as he turned around to see the source of the shadow. Behind him, he saw the Tamaranean teen completely unscathed and giving him a warm, forgiving smile that instantly perked him up. "Starfire!" He cheered happily as he transformed into a kitten again and jumped into her outstretched hands, cuddling her chest as he meowed happily.

"I am glad you are unharmed as well." She laughed as the green Titan retook his human form and knelt before her.

"I am _so_ sorry. You gotta forgive me." He pleaded as he placed his head on the ground.

"I already have." The auburn-haired Titan replied as she helped him off the ground, "Now those evil brothers must be made to apologize."

"I don't think they _are_ evil." Beast Boy said as he stood up, "I think they're just like me." With a nod, Starfire and the shorter teen pulled out their communicators and contacted their teammates.

0-0

Far outside the city in a clearing in the mountains, a few scarecrow-like dummies stood in seemingly a random fashion around the area, consisting of two crossed tree limbs with a blanket wrapped around them with odd designs painted on the cloth. Among these dummies, the sorcerer stood, waiting for his guests of honor to arrive.

"Sticks and leaves?" The old man heard a voice say contemptuously. He turned around to see the two brothers enter the clearing. "Is this a joke? There is no fun in blasting such frail targets!" Lightning shouted in an annoyed tone.

"Are you certain, young master?" The mysterious elder inquired, "Try. You may like what you see." He motioned for the yellow elemental to attack one of the dummies.

The young master in question groaned as he threw a bolt at one of the dummies. Once it connected, the target caught fire and immediately made the yellow one rethink his opinion of the whole exercise.

"Dance light! Pleasing." He remarked with a smile.

"Let Thunder try his hand." The blue brother said as he stepped towards a target. Once he threw a blast of his own that connected with a target, said dummy disappeared in a small explosion accompanied by a great clap of sound. "Wondrous noise!" He said happily as the remains of the scarecrow fluttered towards the ground.

"See, brother? There is no harm in our fun." Lightning said as he placed a hand on his brothers' shoulder.

"And there is _so_ much fun to be had." The old one added as he approached the two, gesturing to the rest of the targets placed throughout the clearing.

At the old mans words, the two thrill-seekers grinned at each other. The yellow brother flew across the clearing, blasting one target after another, while the blue brother leapt high and slammed a fist against the ground to open a furrow. A target at the end of said furrow lit up; followed by several others when he redirected his efforts. Both worked in tandem and turned one target after another into blazing torches. When the final dummy was set on fire, the dynamic duo stopped their assault and returned to the sorcerer.

"More targets, old one!" Lightning eagerly demanded.

"Yes, please, give us more." Thunder added with controlled excitement.

"That won't be necessary." The mysterious old man chuckled, "You've done quite enough." He reached into his robes and produced a metal disc from underneath; it bore a character, Chinese in appearance, which looked something like a stylized letter S. He scaled the object over the clearing as the elemental siblings watched, with looks of complete confusion on their faces. The object stopped high in the sky and spun in place; electricity crackled around it as it picked up speed, culminating in a mighty orange flash. Rays of light shot down and struck each and every burning target as the metal disc continued to suspend itself high above the ground. From a bird's eye view, one could see the shots traced out a large, rough humanoid shape in the clearing, with a final wide beam from above touching the heart area. When the light show stopped, the outline started burning intensely. "Rise." The sorcerer ordered as he held up a staff topped with the same character that was on the disc he threw.

The apparition obeyed as it lifted itself, akin to Frankenstein's Monster, with an unearthly screeching noise. One of the most notable characteristics of the monsters was the character engraved on its forehead that matched the symbol on the sorcerers' staff.

"Burn, Fire! Burn it all!" The old sorcerer called out to the monster with his arms raised.

The blazing behemoth looked down the mountainside toward the city proper and began walking towards it, only to stop its' advancement upon finding the Titans some distance away. It looked down to see the six heroes standing in its' path.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you?" Robin said as he pointed to the giant abomination, "Play with fire, you're going to get burned."

As a response, the beast swung a flaming forearm at the team, forcing them to scatter as a wall of flame flew towards them. Robin looked up from a duck-and-cover position he had assumed and saw the monster pushing trees aside and continued its warpath towards Jump City. Smoke and flames billowed in its wake as the behemoth continued its unflinching walk towards the metro section of the city.

"Good. Very good." The sorcerer grinned as he waved the fumes around with his staff.

The two supernatural brothers stared in complete shock as they could not believe what they had just had a hand in unleashing. "Brother, what have we done?" Thunder said to his brother in a horrified tone as they watched the… _thing_ continue down the mountain.

0-0

As the fire beast kept making its way towards the city, the Titans ran or flew at equal speed to try and stop it from destroying their home.

"Titans! GO!" Robin shouted as he, Cyborg, and Beast Boy ran further down the mountain, while Raven, Kylar, and Starfire flew through the air in front of the monster.

In an attempt to stop the monster, the masked Titan pulled some grenades from his utility belt as he ran. Throwing them in front of the monster, the projectiles erupted in large clouds of smoke, blocking the monsters view of the city and forcing it to stop moving in its confusion.

As the fire rose, Raven waved smoke out of her way as she flew through it, "Fire can't spread if there's nothing to burn. Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" She chanted as two obsidian beams of energy came from her hands and engulfed a few trees in the beasts path before getting pulled out of the ground.

"Good idea, Raven." Robin said as he continued sprinting down the mountain with Beast Boy running next to him and Starfire flying above, "Beast Boy, Starfire, help her out!" He called out to his other two teammates.

On his command, the green Titan quickly transformed into a green buffalo mid-stride and rammed his head at the bases of trees, causing them to topple over. High above the monster, the orange-skinned alien tossed a few starbolts that destroyed some trees as well, effectively preventing the fire from spreading anymore than it already had.

As the others continued with their objective, Cyborg and Kylar began running towards the monster. Turning to face each other as they ran and nodding, they both jumped into the air before slamming a fist into the ground on opposite sides of the monster. The metal member of the team transformed his hand into his sonic cannon while the aura manipulator engulfed his fist with purplish-black flames. When their fists connected with the ground, a blue beam from Cyborgs' hand and a purplish-black beam from Kylars' ran across the ground in front of the monster and met in the middle. When the beams crossed, a huge wave of dirt splashed over the monster, knocking it to the ground and hiding its body in smoke.

"Is he out?" Beast Boy asked as he approached the charred remains of the monster. Before he could take five steps, the blazing behemoth rose into view and released a mighty roar that surprised the team.

"You _had_ to ask." The mage said evenly as the monster roared again, getting ready to walk towards the city again.

0-0

High on a cliff above the fire monster, the old sorcerer grinned evilly as he watched the Titans' attempt to stop the rampaging fire demon. The two elemental brothers stood behind him as they watched the events unfold as well.

"Go, young masters. Fire is your creation." The sorcerer said to the duo, "They have _no_ right to destroy your fun."

"Yes! We must fight." Lightning said in agreement.

"But brother-"

"Do not annoy me with your foolish concerns." The yellow being interrupted, "Come!" With an unsure look, Thunder nodded before the two disappeared in a large pillar of lightning.

The old sorcerer watched as the two left him alone, "Heh." He chuckled as he turned to watch the monster fight again. However, Robin jumped at him with a jump kick, completely surprising him, and knocked his cane away from him.

Robin smiled as he landed, thinking he just burst the old mans' bubble, only to be surprised himself when said sorcerer managed to withdraw the staff back by having it fly back into his hand. "Robin, we meet at last." The sorcerer said with an unnerving smile.

"Who _are_ you?" The masked Titan asked before the old man charged him.

"Hyaaaaaa!" The sorcerer cried as he raised his staff to attack the leader.

"Rrrrraaaaaa!" Robin growled as he ran towards the mysterious man to meet him in combat.

0-0

The other five Titans weren't faring too well as all their attempts at stopping the burning colossus met with failure.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven chanted as she shot two beams of obsidian magic from her hands at the monster. When the beams connected, the monster leaned backwards from the force of the attack, and the flames around it were extinguished.

"Nice job, Rae." Kylar said, giving her a 'thumbs up' as he flew up next to her. Unfortunately, the brunettes' celebration was cut short as the flames reignited on the monster, causing both the mage and the black-jacketed teen to gasp. Once the fire completely engulfed the giant again, it curled its body into a ball before extending itself again, unleashing a powerful blast that knocked all the Titans' back and destroyed every tree within a mile radius.

Cyborg was caught in the blast and was knocked to the ground as a result. Kylar, Raven, and Starfire landed next to him. But before they could help him up, a large bolt of electricity blasted them, sending them to the ground. Kylar sat up and saw the elemental siblings float down, Lightnings' hands were smoking, signifying that he shot the attack.

With a grin, the yellow element charged his hands with more of his trademark power before approaching the downed heroes. His blue counterpart harnessed some of his energy in his hand, only to be met with a ferocious green tiger. "Stand aside, green one." Thunder ordered, only to be met with a roar from the animal.

Without another word, the bulky blue sound samurai charged the tiger, while the animal did the same. Once the two were close enough, a thick purple haze surrounded them.

0-0

Inside the smoke, nothing but the purple clouds could be seen as the two combatants faced each other in a dark nothingness.

Amid the haze, Thunder sat on one of the clouds with his leg crossed, looking down at the tiger. Shadows hid most of their bodies, highlighting the contours of their bodies, "I do not wish to harm you." His voice echoed throughout the void.

"But you wanna destroy homes and innocent lives?" Beast Boys' voice asked though he was still in the form of a tiger.

"No."

"Then what are you fighting for?"

"My brother and I- The old one says we are unique. Gifted. Better." The larger blue element replied.

"Gifts don't make you better, just different." The green one started, "It's how you _use_ them that counts."

These words seemed to have struck a cord with the blue being as he had no words to say to the young hero.

0-0

Back in reality, Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire were lying on the ground, defeated by the supernatural entity. Kylar, on the other hand, was facing off against him, flying through the air as he tried hitting the yellow being with blasts of his aura.

Lightning weaved around the shots and fired his own bolts at the teen. The brunette could dodge a few, but was hit by a lucky bolt and sent him crashing into the ground.

Coughing and struggling to get up, Lightning landed in front of the downed hero. Kylar tried to form more energy in his hand, but it dissipated as a surge of electricity coursed though his body. "Gck!" He grunted as he fell back to the ground.

"It seems _your_ power has its limit." Lightning said as he formed more electricity in both hands, "Mine has _none_." He said as he raised both electricity-filled hands above his head, ready to unleash an attack on the weakened hero. Before he could release the blast, a strong blue beam struck the yellow entity in the side, knocking him away from the brunette. "Gah!" He cried as he landed against a tree. Kylar looked over to the source of the attack to see the blue entity walking past.

When Lightning stood up after being hit, he formed more electricity in his left hand, "You _betray_ me?!" He asked in a rather angry yet surprised tone.

"We have done wrong, my brother." Thunder replied as he took another step forward, "Our fun must stop."

"No one commands Lightning!" The yellow one growled as he summoned electricity in both hands, "Not even Thunder!" He brought both hands together and shot a large beam at his blue brother.

"Gah!" The blue shogun cried as the blast sent him tumbling across the ground.

0-0

Away from the fighting elemental brothers, away from the weakened heroes, and away from the impending doom of the flaming monster, Robin was engaging the old sorcerer in combat. Being driven back by the swinging of the old mans' cane, the spiky-haired teen blocked the attacks with his gloved forearms, before getting pinned against a tree.

With a growl, the sorcerer brought his cane back and stabbed the head towards the masked Titan, only for him to barely dodge to the side. When the head of the cane came into contact with the tree Robin was against, a –_**hiss**_- sounded in his ear before he jumped to the side and readied himself for another assault.

0-0

Farther down the mountain, the remaining Titans stood and watched as the behemoth continued its march towards the city.

"Those houses go, the whole city could go. We gotta stop the fire!" The bionic Titan stated.

"How?" Raven asked as she floated behind him.

"Any way we can." Cyborg returned before taking off to catch the monster. The other Titans' followed suit, hoping they could stop the creature before it destroyed the suburban part of Jump.

0-0

Lightning flew at his brother at high speeds and released a beam of electricity from his hand. When the attack struck Thunder, it sent him flying back, causing him to collide with a boulder.

When the blue entity slid to the ground and landed in a slump, he looked up to see his yellow sibling approaching him, an angry frown on his face, a bolt of electricity in hand, and ready to strike. "Tell me, brother, are we still having _fun_?"

"No…" Lightning uttered weakly as he withdrew his attack.

"Observe," The blue brother said, pointing in the direction of the teenaged superheroes. When Lightning looked to the city, he saw the young heroes trying everything they could to stop the progression of the fire. Raven surrounded her hands with her black magic, levitating objects to throw at the monster; Beast Boy transformed into an elephant and shot water from his trunk; Starfire readied starbolts in her hands; Kylar threw orbs of aura at the giant in hopes of driving it back from the city; and Cyborg broke off the top of a fire hydrant and redirected the water spouting from it in the direction of the colossus.

"They also have gifts. But they use them for good, while we waste ours on dangerous fun." Thunder reached his hand out and grabbed his brothers' shoulder, "If we are so special, brother, let us act special. We must help."

Lightning looked down at the ground, dejectedly, "But how? Our gifts can only destroy."

"True." The blue being said, "But together we have another gift." He added as he looked to the clouded sky.

With a smile, the yellow entity looked to the sky as well, and in a bright flash of electricity, both brothers flew into the clouds.

0-0

The five Titans were on their last leg, as nothing seemed to work at stopping the rampaging behemoth. However, a crack of lightning flashed across the sky as the sound of thunder echoed overhead.

In the clouds, Thunder, silhouetted against the clouds, swung a pair of sticks against his surrounds. A thunderclap boomed throughout the sky each time a stick struck. On the other side of the clouds, Lightning, also silhouetted, threw his arms from side to side, electricity flashing across the sky each time he did so. In one final flash of lightning, a heavy rain started falling to the Earth.

Looking up in surprise, the fire monster released a blood-curling shriek as the rain came in contact with its body. As the downpour continued, smoke emitted from the giants' body before it collapsed into nothing but ashes on the ground outside of the suburb. Cyborg, Beast Boy, Starfire, and Kylar cheered while Raven smiled at the destruction of the abomination.

0-0

Higher on the mountain, the sorcerer got the upper hand on Robin and held the teen against a tree by the collar of his uniform, "Robin, is that the best you can do?" The old man asked before a bolt of lightning struck his cane, causing him to drop the Boy Wonder.

When the spiky-haired Titan landed, he looked up to see that the left half of the old man's face had crumbled away, revealing an orange mask underneath. Robin gasped at the sight before the sorcerer vanished in a puff of smoke. When the smoke cleared, all that was left was a disk with the same symbol that was on the head of the cane.

The Boy Wonder reached down to pick the object up and held it up to his face, analyzing it with great intensity. "Slade."

0-0

In the suburb, the young heroes were celebrating their victory in their own ways as the rain fell down on them.

Beast Boy looked back to see Thunder and Lightning approaching them and walked over to greet the two. "I am sorry for the trouble we have made." The bulky blue being apologized as he bowed, his brother crossed his arms in a pout.

Thunder forcefully nudged the yellow entity in the back, causing him to straighten up. "I am… also sorry." Lightning said as he bowed to the green teen.

"You have taught us much, green one." Thunder added as he shook Beast Boys' hand, "Thank you."

The changeling let the blue beings' hand go, "Don't thank me, thank the person who taught me." He said, gesturing to Starfire, who walked up and stood next to her shorter teammate. The siblings bowed to her when she approached.

"And thank you for helping to defeat the flame monster." The auburn-haired Titan said as she bowed in return. Cyborg, Raven, and Kylar walked up after and gave their thanks as well.

0-0

After the rain stopped, and the clouds dispersed, a bright and colorful rainbow arced from the sky over Jump City and landed in the bay. On the mountain, the six Titans stood gazing out and saw the rainbow end behind the Tower.

Robin handed the disk to Cyborg, who brought it up to his face to analyze it, "So, Slade wants to destroy the city. Question is: why?"

"I don't know," The masked teen said, "But I _will_ find out. And he won't get away with it."

Beast Boy walked up to Starfire while Raven and Kylar continued enjoying the view of the city from the mountain. "So…" Beast Boy began, getting the alien Titans' attention, "Am I, you know, still a clorbag?" He asked with a hand behind his back and his other up to his chin.

"Mmm, no." Starfire replied, holding her right hand to her chin, "I believe you are more of a 'milnip wusserloop.'" She finished.

It took the young teen a second to process what she said before a huge, toothy grin came across his face, "Sweet!" He cheered as he lifted both arms over his head, "Go Beast Boy! I'm a milnip! Who's your wusserloop!" He chanted as he danced happily. He stopped at the sudden realization that he had no idea what that meant, "That _is_ a good thing… Right, Star?" The orange-skinned alien only giggled at the question as she flew off down the mountain, followed by Raven and Kylar while Robin and Cyborg walked. "Star?" He called out again before running to catch up with the rest of his team.

* * *

**Apologizing does not always mean that you are wrong and the other person is right. It just means that you value your relationship more than your ego.**

**-Unknown**

**Author's Notes:**

**Welcome back to another chapter of this fanfiction that I am currently writing. I want to apologize for the delay in updates, I haven't been able to update as much as I'd like to, even though I don't have a lot of chapters up right now. I want to at least get through season 1 before delaying updates, but even then I want to get these chapters out to you beautiful people as fast as I can.**

**I want to thank you all for taking the time to read this story. I know it's my first story I have submitted, but from the reviews and the amount of views it has been getting, I must be doing something right and I wouldn't be anything without all of you.**

**To those of you who read the author's notes at the ends of the chapters, thank you all so much for your love and support, I do this for you because I like ya a lot. But don't take that too seriously. As for those who don't read the author's notes, people who consume more pizza are actually decreasing their risks of cancer, so keep on eating those pizzas, even if your parents tell you no.**

**Fun Fact: Did you know, Thunder and Lightning were based on character designs from Osamu Tezuka's many mangas. For those who don't know, Osamu Tezuka is widely considered the father of manga with his creations of Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion, and Doctor Blackjack. Without him, we wouldn't have any of these mangas with such great "plot."**

**Another Fun Fact: Did you know that Osamu Tezuka got the inspiration for creating manga by reading Donald Duck Disney Comics? That's right. Donald Duck was the inspiration for creating Astro Boy and indirectly spawning thousands, if not millions, of mangas. Thank you Donald Duck.**

**I'm just rambling at this point. So to finish up, thank you all again for your support of the series and I hope to continue entertaining you all so you stick around for future chapters. Remember to like, comment, favorite, subscribe, whatever... Wait, this isn't YouTube...**

**Remember to write a review if you want to, or don't it's up to you. Either way, if you have any questions or suggestions, PM me if you want, I'd love to hear your thoughts and I promise to respond.**

**So until next time, See You Space Cowboys.**


	7. The Sum of His Parts

It was a beautiful day in Jump. The sun shined brightly overhead as citizens of the coastal city enjoyed a day at the park. A nice breeze and few clouds in the sky helped create a serene environment. Tossing a Frisbee, throwing a baseball, flying a kite, or just spending the day with loved ones for a picnic, people came to take full advantage of such a pleasant day.

Among the many people enjoying themselves at the park, the resident superhero team decided to spend the day basking in the fresh air and sunlight as well.

"Mmm-mmm!" A familiar metallic Titan inhaled and exhaled deeply as he enjoyed being alive, "Would you look at that; a little sunshine, a little breeze. Only one thing could make this day better." He leaned over a grill and removed the lid, revealing a large rack of freshly grilled ribs on a plate, "Four and a half pounds of baby-back ribs!" He grinned as he lifted the plate and walked over to a park table where Robin and Starfire were seated. "Man, I _love_ picnic food." Cyborg added as he took a seat next to the Boy Wonder and began chowing down his rack of ribs.

"Agreed, Cyborg. This tiny yellow beverage is truly delightful." The Tamaranean blushed as she continued slurping through a straw.

The two males at the table stopped eating, "Uh… Starfire?" Cyborg said as he and Robin stared at her in shock.

"That's mustard." The masked Titan added as he winced at the sight.

"Is there more?" She asked happily as a sight gag showed her nuzzling a large container of mustard against the side of her face. The other two teens at the table just stared at her while Cyborgs' robotic eye twitched upon hearing the aliens' words.

Climbing on the tree next to the grill, a green lemur made its way onto a branch before hanging by its tail and lowering itself towards the grill. Before reaching its objective, the animal transformed, revealing Beast Boy hanging upside down and extending his arms. "Sweet! My tofu dogs are cooked to perfection." He said as he held two buns holding some white substance in place of the usual meat. "Yo Raven, try one!" He said to the dark mage, who was sitting in the shade beneath a nearby tree, "They're loaded with soybean-y goodness!"

The cloaked mage turned to look at him, "I respect that you don't eat meat." She told him, "Please respect that I don't eat _fake meat_." She narrowed her eyes at the green teen as she finished speaking.

Beast Boy smiled uneasily at the blue-clad teens' response. "Hey Ky, what about you?"

The next thing Raven saw was her brunette teammate hanging upside down in front of her, causing her to flinch in surprise. "Sure, B, I'll eat one." He replied with a grin. The changeling tossed one of the tofu dogs at him before scarfing the other down quickly. Kylar caught it in his mouth and began chewing it.

"I can't believe you can eat that." The mage said as the black-jacketed Titan swallowed the food.

Kylar turned his head to face his teammate, "Eh heh, I guess it's a little weird." He replied with a grin as he rubbed the back of his head.

"All right, y'all. Who wants to play some _foo_-_ball_?" Cyborg asked as he ran out into a clear spot of the park, holding up a football.

Robin, Kylar, Starfire, and Beast Boy ran up to join the bionic Titan to partake in the sport. When they formed in a group, they noticed one friend was missing. They turned back to see Raven still sitting in the shade beneath the tree.

She looked up to face them, "I'll be referee." She said in a bored tone.

Cyborg crouched, ready to snap the ball. Kylar was standing next to him while Robin stood behind him. Beast Boy and Starfire were standing opposite the metallic teen and brunette.

"Red! Twenty-three!" Robin shouted, "Hut, hut, hut!" On the last command, the bionic Titan snapped the ball behind him, handing it to the quarterback and took off, passing the orange and green skinned teens.

Starfire flew off after Cyborg to cover him while Kylar kept back, standing in between Beast Boy and the masked leader. "One Gotham City, two Gotham City." The changeling counted off as he prepared to sack the ball handler.

"You can run, you can fly, but you can't catch Cy!" The metallic Titan taunted as he continued running down the field with Starfire flying in hot pursuit behind him.

"Five Gotham City!" Beast Boy shouted before he transformed into a triceratops and charged the Boy Wonder and brunette.

Robin and Kylar screamed in surprise as the dinosaur closed the distance between them. "I got the block!" The aura manipulator told his teammate as he formed his spiritual energy around his arms and legs. Robin kept running backwards while Kylar stood his ground. With a grunt, the aura manipulator grabbed the green dinosaurs' face and pushed, giving resistance to its progression. However, Beast Boys' momentum was enough to push the brunette back, causing his feet to skid across the ground. He was eventually stopped, but only when they were mere inches from the quarterback.

With a grunt, the Boy Wonder leapt over the defender and ran up the length of the triceratops. Jumping at the peak of the dinosaurs' back, Robin spun in the air before throwing the ball down the field.

Turning back to see the ball, Cyborg placed his hands in front of him. However, with each step, the robotic parts of his body that glowed in a nice blue began fading into a pale black. "I got it! I got it! I-" The metallic teen froze in place as his body finally ran out of power, the blue parts of his body now fully black and gray.

When the ball came down, it hit the frozen Titans' head, nudging it a bit before causing his body to fall to the ground. "Cyborg? Cyborg!" Robin cried worriedly as he and the other Titans ran up to their friend to see him close his eye while the light in his robotic eye flickered off.

0-0

"Cyborg? Cyborg!" Starfire asked worriedly, trying to snap her friend out of whatever ill will had befallen him.

"What's wrong with him?" Raven asked as Kylar tried flipping the bulky teammate.

"Maybe his systems had a power surge." Kylar offered, finally getting him on his back.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Beast Boy asked worriedly.

The lying Titan slowly began opening his eye as his robot eye flickered with light and the blackened parts of his body glowed in blue again. "Shh." Robin shushed his team, "I think he's coming too. Cyborg, are you all right?"

"Yeah." He groaned as Kylar and Robin helped him off the ground, "Thanks."

"What happened?" The mage asked.

"Something must've gone wrong with my systems." He replied as he clicked on a screen on his forearm that revealed a power bar in the red with the words _**POWER REMAINING**_ underneath with a countdown of thirty minutes. "Aw man, my power cell's dyin'."

"Dying!?" Starfire cried worriedly, causing the African teen to turn to her.

"It's only a battery. I'm fine. Happens every couple of years." Cyborg reassured the girl. "Just a natural part of bein' unnatural." He shrugged, a hint of sadness in his voice.

"So, what do we do?" Robin asked.

Cyborg reached down and grabbed the football on the ground, "_You_ keep playing. _I_ go home and change batteries." He explained as he handed the ball to the spiky-haired Titan.

"You sure you don't want help?" Beast Boy asked.

"It'll be faster if we come with you." Kylar added as Cyborg walked further and further from the group.

"Just 'cause I can't have fun doesn't mean y'all can't." The rest of the team watched as their robotic teammate walked through the park.

0-0

As he made his way down a pathway, Cyborg looked up at the bright blue sky. "Sure was a nice day." He sighed as he hung his head.

"Cyborg!" He heard a child's voice call out to him. He turned around to who called him. "Whoa, Cyborg! It's really you!" A small boy wearing a blue baseball cap, gray pants, baseball shoes, and a long sleeved blue and white shirt with the number thirty on it along with a baseball mitten on his right hand stood behind him, "You're my favorite 'cause look!" He pulled the glove off his hand and revealed to the teen a robotic arm. "You're just like me!"

"Um, yeah. I-I guess I am." The metallic teen said as he looked at the prosthetic limb. A beeping from his right arm caught his attention as he brought it up to look at it. Clicking on it, a screen flashing _**TITAN ALERT**_ appeared.

"Cool!" The boy exclaimed happily.

"Nice meetin' ya kid. But I got butt to kick." The bionic man said before running off, leaving the young boy in the park.

"COOL!" The young boy exclaimed again.

As he ran through the park, Cyborg glanced at his power supply to see he only had a little over thirteen minutes remaining before shutdown. With a determined look, he pressed on the screen again to hide it before sprinting into the city.

0-0

At one of the high end jewelry shops, a balding man struggled in a straight jacket as he hung upside down with a gag across his mouth. Finally tiring from the attempted escape, the old man watched as a blue skinned man with a long nose, white hair, thin white mustache and goatee made his way around the store, picking up any expensive jewelry he saw and tossing it into a sack. The robber wore a domino mask, top hat, and was clad in a tuxedo with white gloves and a flower over his left breast with a red cape hanging from his shoulders.

"Thanks _so_ much." The blue man said as he turned to the hostage, "You've been a wonderful audience." He added as he bowed. "Now watch as the amazing Mumbo vanishes into thin air." He pulled out a magician's wand and swung it around in a circle, "Mumbo Jumbo!" He chanted as he pointed the wand to the ground, causing a small explosion of smoke to form around him. When the smoke cleared, nothing remained, indicating that the blue magician was no longer in the store.

0-0

Outside the city, the insane entertainer sprinted into a junkyard. Around his legs, swirls spun at incredible speeds and carried the blue man across the ground before coming to a halt. When the magician stopped, he waved his left hand in the air and in a flash of light, a diamond the size of a pineapple appeared.

"Not bad, for a matinee." He said as he gazed at the gem through a small magnifying glass.

"Shows over, Mumbo." A voice called out to him, causing the magician to gasp in surprise. Mumbo turned to see Robin, Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy, and Kylar standing on a cliff overlooking the junkyard. "Now hand over the jewels before the critics decide to trash your performance." Robin added.

"Now Robin, I'm sure there's a peaceful solution here." The magician known as Mumbo said calmly before throwing his hands forward and summoning two lit bombs in his hands, "But _this_ isn't it!" He laughed as he hurled the explosives at the teenaged superheroes, causing them to scramble in different directions.

With another hysterical laugh, the crazed magician threw the flower on his chest at the Boy Wonder, who leapt onto a mound of junk to dodge an explosion caused by it. Once he landed, a robotic arm reached from over the ledge and grabbed the spiky-haired teen. "Whaaa!" Robin cried as he was pulled down into a trench.

"Who said you could start the party without me?" Cyborg asked with a grin as he placed his teammate on the ground.

"Cyborg? What about your power cell?" Robin asked just before more bombs went off near the two, causing them to duck for cover behind the junk mound.

Mumbo continued his crazed antics by throwing small red bombs at the Titans. Starfire and Raven hid behind cover as the bombs went off. The Tamaranean Titan fired a starbolt while the mage threw some debris at their opponent. However, these attacks proved to be ineffective as Mumbo dodged the projectiles with ease, along with diving out of the way of a flying brunette and a charging green velociraptor, causing them to crash into each other.

"Go home, get fixed. We can handle this without you." The Boy Wonder said to his metallic friend as he watched the magician dance around.

Cyborg shot a glare at the spiky-haired teen, "I won't let you guys fight alone." He returned.

"And _I _won't let you put yourself in danger."

"I got it covered." The bionic Titan said as he stood up and turned his back to the leader, revealing a quad of car batteries attached to his back, "External battery pack." He said as he transformed his right arm into his sonic cannon. "Teen Titans! GO!" He shouted as he jumped into the air and shot off a beam from his arm.

"Huh?" Mumbo looked over just in time to see the blue and white beam hit him squarely in the chest, "WHAAAAAA!" He cried as the beam carried him across the junkyard and into a large pile of trash. After landing, the magician shook his head to get rid of the grogginess before a purple can of soda landed on his head. He looked to the ground and saw his top hat roll in front of him. He looked forward and saw the robotic member of the Titans charging him. Grabbing his hat and placing it on his head, the blue maniac stood up, "Nothing up my sleeve." He said as a long, multicolored rag flew out of his left sleeve. He grabbed the rag and flicked it towards the teen, "And presto!"

"Huh?" Cyborg watched as the rag wrapped around him, "Yo!" He grunted as the magical piece of cloth tightened around his body, causing him to trip and skid across the ground.

"HI-YAAA!" Robin growled as he leapt at the magician in a high jump kick.

"Need a hand?" Mumbo asked as he reached inside a pipe that stuck out of the mound of junk next to him. The same hand came out of a different pipe higher up the mound and grabbed the masked teens cape as he flew past, keeping him hanging in the air. Mumbo then taunted him with punches outside of different pipes as the brightly dressed teen struggled to get free.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven chanted as she encompassed three large metal cannisters in her magic and threw them at the long-nosed magician.

Without flinching, Mumbo raised his hands and stopped each piece of garbage with ease before transforming them into a flurry of rose petals that fluttered to the ground.

"You think that's good, watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat!" He said as he removed his hat from his head and pointed it in the mages' direction. "Hocus Pocus!" He chanted as a wave of white stuffed bunnies flew from his hat and dog piled the cloaked girl.

Straightening himself, Mumbo turned and saw a green goat charging him. "Pick a card." He said as he pulled a card out of thin air, "_Every_ card!" He grinned as he flicked an entire deck of cards into both hands from the single card. He then flicked both stacks of cards at the goat, growing in size as both stacks collided with it and forced it back.

A few explosions of purplish-black flames caught the magicians' attention as he turned around and saw Kylar throwing orbs of energy at him. Jumping a few times to avoid the attacks, Mumbo landed next to the brunette and tied his cape around the teen, "Remember kid, you can get snacks during intermission." He said as he pulled the cape away, revealing the brunette now restrained in a straightjacket.

With a flick of his magic wand, Mumbo created a large safe behind the brunette, and pushed the boy inside, "Wha- HEY!" The straightjacketed teen cried in surprise as the door to the safe closed.

"That ought a keep you safe 'til then." Mumbo smirked as he put his wand back inside his cape. "For my next trick, I require a lovely assistant." He explained as he pulled out a large hooked cane from his back. He reached up and plucked Starfire right out of the air, causing her to gasp in surprise as she was placed inside a floating box with only her head and legs sticking out the ends. The blue magician then pulled out an obnoxiously long handsaw and held it over the auburn-haired girl. "It's only fair to warn you: I have no idea what I'm doing." He said as orange-skinned alien struggled to free herself.

"Rrrraaaah!" Cyborg yelled as he tackled Mumbo away from the box, causing the two of them to slide across the ground and dust rising to cover them.

When the dust cleared, one could see the metallic teen had pinned the insane villain to the ground. "I hate fighting dirty." Mumbo coughed, "Shall we clean you up?" He asked as water from the flower on his left breast shot out with such force that it launched Cyborg off him and into the air.

"WHAAAAAA!" The flying Titan cried as he flew through the air and landed softly on trash in a blue dump truck. As he started to get up, he looked over to see the water had damaged his external battery, with sparks flying around them. He heard beeping coming from his arm and looked to see the _**POWER REMAINING**_ screen counting down with only five seconds left. He stood up in a panic, trying to get out of the dump truck, but froze completely when the timer reached zero. The robotic parts of his body shut off, leaving his robotic eye with no light and his normally blue sections black.

He slowly sunk into the garbage that filtered through the back end of the vehicle and fell into a hole in the ground, disappearing into the darkness below.

"Cyborg? Cyborg!" Robin called out as he ran to the dump truck. The vehicle engine revved, catching the teens attention and he turned to see Mumbo in the drivers seat.

"Exit, stage left." The blue man said as he stepped on the gas pedal and sped away.

Robin watched as the truck made its way out the junkyard and into the city. Raven, Beast Boy, Kylar, and Starfire ran up to join him, having freed themselves of the magicians' tricks. "Titans! He's got Cyborg!" At those words, Starfire, Raven, and Kylar shot into the air in pursuit of the truck while Robin and Beast Boy ran on foot.

0-0

Inside the hole that the metallic teen fell through, light shined down to reveal Cyborg lying in a pile of garbage, his left hand raised in the air, indicating his body still frozen in place. In the darkness that surrounded him, red balls of light glowed as his body began moving, as though it were being pulled, before disappearing into the void.

0-0

"_Online. Charging._" A robotic voice stated.

In a flash of light, Cyborg opened his eyes and saw three hanging lights shining over him. "Huh?" The Titan groaned as his sight began to focus. He noticed he was in what looked to be an operations room and was lying on a large inclined table. The room he was in was shrouded in darkness, except for many glowing red orbs piercing the black background.

"You are operational. That is good." He heard another voice say next to him. He looked over and saw what appeared to be a tall man with glowing blue eyes and grayish skin surrounded almost entirely by a long blue cloak that had black shoulder pads and a neck brace with gray trim. The mysterious man also had a black helmet adorned on his head that had a gray circle with two lines coming from the sides in the center of it.

"What's going-"

"Rest friend." The man held up a hand to calm the teen, "Your new power cell is not fully charged."

Cyborg reached up and grabbed one of the overhead lights. He shined it in front of him and saw countless old and rusted robots, the owners of the glowing red eyes, surrounding them in what looked to be an atrium setting. "Who are you?" He asked as he moved the light around the room.

"I am called Fixit." The man replied.

"Whoa." The bionic teen awed as he continued looking around the room before bringing the light in front of him and shined it on the tall man.

"You were broken. I have brought you here to be repaired." He said as he approached the resting Titan.

"Where's here?" Cyborg asked with a bit of worry in his voice.

0-0

After having scanned the city fervently, the five other Titans finally located the stolen blue garbage truck. Then again, it wasn't that hard since it crashed into the side of a building and was emitting smoke due to the damage.

"Cyborg is not inside!" Starfire called out to the rest of the group after discovering the vehicle was abandoned.

"And his locator signal is being jammed." Robin added as he pulled out what looked to be a gray cell phone that could locate each team member. He closed the tracking device and put it back in his belt, "This doesn't make sense. Why would Mumbo want to kidnap Cyborg?"

As the Boy Wonder conversed with the rest of his team, Beast Boy walked away from the crashed vehicle. "Guys, over here!" He called out to the others as he crouched and picked up a top hat lying on the ground. "I found something."

"Beast Boy, what are you doing?" Kylar asked as he and the others walked over.

"I wouldn't-" Robin began only to get cut off by a bright flash of light from the hat that released a massive wave of doves that flew out and surrounded the teens.

When the flock dispersed, the young heroes were covered in feathers. "Way to go." Raven deadpanned as she and the rest of her friends tried removing the white feathers from their clothes.

0-0

"Charging is complete." A calm voice said as Cyborg pressed the screen on his arm, showing a power bar in the blue with the words _**FULL POWER 100%**_ underneath. "The new power cell is functioning properly."

The metallic Titan grabbed his right bicep with his left hand and flex a few times, "Yeah. I'm felling better." He stood up and straightened his back, "Lots better." He added with a smile.

"Of course you are. I am Fixit." The cloaked robotic man said as he walked away from the operating table. "Things come to me broken, I make repairs." He walked over to a pile of discarded appliances that fell into the atrium through a trash shoot and picked up a few pieces, "Let me see… Yes… Yes… Hmm…" He mumbled as he began levitating a few mechanical parts above his head. "Pity... Interesting… the damage is too extensive." He analyzed another appliance before it floated away from him, "Perhaps if we can find another processor."

Cyborg looked over to the gray and blue android with a puzzled look on his face, "Well, thanks. For everything." He waved as he started walking out of the atrium.

Fixit dropped the parts he was holding to the ground, turned around and walked towards the newly repaired teen, "You cannot leave."

"I can't?" The confused African teen asked as he turned around to face the repairman.

"You are not repaired. Not fully."

"I'm not?"

"My examination revealed many flaws." Fixit explained. "_Serious_ flaws."

"Serious!?" Cyborg cried worriedly as he looked at his hands, "How serious? What's wrong with me?"

"There is no cause for alarm." The glowing blue-eyed man said in an eerily calm voice, "More repairs are needed. More repairs will be made."

"But… I feel fine." The Titan admitted as he flexed his right arm, "Are you sure I'm-"

"Quite." Fixit interrupted, "Will you remain? It is for the best." He added as he approached Cyborg.

"Well… yeah, I guess. Let me just tell my friends where I am." Cyborg began tapping on his right forearm, trying to pull up his communicator. Behind him, Fixits' eyes began glowing red as a pulse flowed through his helmet. When a screen appeared on the metallic teens arm, nothing but static was there to greet him. "Whoa! Something really _is_ wrong with me."

"Rest now." The other cyborg said as he gestured to the table, "You may contact your friends later. I am sure they are not… _too_ concerned."

The Titan obeyed and placed himself lying on the table, "Maybe they should be." He said with worry as he looked up at Fixit.

0-0

Running through the streets of Jump City, the Titans witnessed many strange things occur. On the side of a building, a long stretch of bright pink, purple, yellow, and orange graffiti with yellow polka dots ran from the top of one building and reaching down to the sidewalk. On the street, they witnessed a bus vanish in a puff of smoke and then reappear further down the road. The final event, and perhaps strangest, they saw was a mailbox hop around a corner spitting out white rabbits with every jump while a woman surrounded by three golden rings floated through the air.

"I'll say this much for Mumbo," Beast Boy commented, "He's an easy act to follow." Kylar slapped his right hand against his face at the words that came from his green friends' mouth.

"Oh, I would commit myself to a life of muck shoveling in the filth mines of Kornax if Cyborg could only be returned safely." Starfire pleaded as she brought her hands together.

"He was malfunctioning." Raven added with a sad look in her eyes, "He shouldn't have been helping."

"He always pushes himself too hard." Kylar sighed sadly as he let his shoulders drop, "He needs to learn when to rest."

"I tried to stop him, but… he's Cyborg." Robin replied.

"Mumbo Jumbo!" The five teens heard the voice of the magician chant in the distance. Rushing to find the culprit, the Titans turned the corner to see huge piles of money stacked in front of ATMs, along with Mumbo standing next to them typing away on one of the machines as he laughed hysterically. He quickly stopped laughing and glanced over to see the juvenile youths standing at attention. "Sorry folks," He said with a bow as he removed his hat. The money began flying into the hat as though it were a vacuum. "No time for autographs." He finished before sprinting down the street.

"Titans! Get him!" The Boy Wonder yelled before they all ran after the insane blue man.

Raven flew after the magical villain as he turned into an alleyway. It looked as though luck was on her side as she noticed a brick wall blocking the end of the path. However, color the girl surprised when she saw what happened next. "Open says me!" Mumbo called out. As if on cue, pieces of bricks from the wall disappeared, creating a hole large enough for the magician to run through. As the blue-clad Titan ran after him, she saw the bricks reappeared, filling in the hole and cutting her off from pursuing the masked man.

On the other side of the wall, Mumbo shrieked in surprise with a gaped mouth as he noticed a large green bull standing in front of him. With a snort, the animal reared its head and charged. Not even remotely worried of the idea of getting head-butted by a larger green bull, the blue magician unclipped his cape and hung it in front of him. In a flash, he turned the cape into a brick wall that the bull crashed into, causing it to slump to the ground after the impact.

Stepping out from behind the wall, Mumbo held his hands up and transformed his top hat into a sombrero, "Olé!" He cheered before continuing his run down the alley. Starfire flew up behind him and threw her signature bolts at the villain. The attacks barely missed as he weaved downed the pavement. "_Flowers_ for the lady." The crazed sideshow act pulled a bouquet of flowers from his cape and tossed them behind his head.

"Ahh!" The auburn-haired alien cried as the bundle of plants exploded in front of her, creating a large smokescreen that filled the air and stopped her pursuit.

Mumbo stopped running for a brief moment as he felt the ground tremble beneath him. "Whaaa!" The domino mask wearing man cried as a pillar of purplish-black energy shot out of the ground, holding the piece of pavement Mumbo was on.

When the piece of concrete stopped rising, Mumbo turned around and saw the brown-haired, blue-eyed Titan floating behind him, aura surrounding both arms and legs. "Nowhere to run now."

"Ah-ah," The villain taunted as he wagged his finger in Kylars' face, "You can never stop a good magician from performing." He stepped to the ledge and jumped in a swan dive, "Tootles!"

"Hey!" Kylar yelled after him as he dove to give chase. He was able to fly parallel to the magician, but before he could grab him, Mumbo pulled a cup full of water from his cape and held it in front of him. "Are you crazy?!" The brunette yelled as he pulled back from crashing into the ground. The blue man continued his descent and when he finally reached the ground, he disappeared as his body went inside the cup of water. Kylar landed and picked the glass up from the ground in complete bewilderment. He turned the cup over to pour the water out. But instead of pouring out, the water shot out of the cup with the force of a fire hose that sprayed the brunette and pinned him against a wall. The laughter of the magician echoed through the air as Kylar saw him running further down the alleyway.

Finally, Robin leapt in front of Mumbo as the final member to try and stop him. Pulling out his bo-staff and spinning it like a propeller, the Boy Wonder beckoned for him to try and pass.

With a smile, Mumbo chanted, "Abra Cadabra!" The staff transformed into a cobra in Robins' hands after the words were said.

"Whoa! AH!" The masked teen cried as he released the deadly animal from his grasp, watching it slither away when it hit the ground.

Mumbo continued cackling like a maniac as he made is was up a staircase out of the alleyway while the rest of the Titans followed in hot pursuit.

0-0

Far away from the action occurring in the city, Cyborg was analyzing his systems in the darkened underground room while the cloaked man continued searching through a pile of parts. "I don't get it, all my sensors say I'm fine." The metallic teen said as he switched off the screen on his arm.

"Your sensors are incomplete." Fixit said as he turned and approached the teen, "Mine are more precise."

"Guess I'm just getting kinda nervous." The African teen said as he placed himself back down on the operating table. Once he did so, multiple wires from overhead came down and attached themselves into the mechanical parts of his head, his breastplate, and on the gray nubs on his shoulders. "How long am I gonna be down here anyway?"

Fixit stood next to him as a cord similar to those on the younger cyborg connected to his forehead, "Repairs could take some time. Besides, why would you _want_ to leave? Look around you. Look at yourself. You belong with us." He said as he began working on Cyborgs' arm with what looked like a robotic wrench.

"No I don't." The bionic Titan stated evenly. "I mean you've got a nice place here and you've been really cool to me, but I couldn't live down here." He explained, "I don't know how you can."

"What do you mean?" The blue-eyed man asked, the confusion wasn't apparent on his face, but it was in his voice. "The power supply is adequate, replacement parts are easy to find…"

"I need more than that!" Cyborg argued, "What about sunlight? What about fresh air? What about _food_?"

"I do not require these things." Fixit replied as the cord on his forehead detached itself. "And when repairs are complete, neither will you." He finished as he walked away from the table.

The metallic Titan stood up from the table and pulled off the cords on his body, "You know what? I'm feeling all right now. So, thanks anyway but I'm just gonna go." He began walking towards a door that seemed to lead out of the atrium.

"Stay!" The gray-skinned tall man ordered as his eyes and helmet began glowing red. Cyborg looked around and saw many of the smaller robots that were fixed standing in his path.

He backed up from the smaller machines, but was surprised as more robots from overhead jumped onto his shoulders. "Yo, what are you-" He struggled to break free of pincers that grabbed his arms, "Hey! Let me go!" The smaller machines lined up in front of him and pulled out tongs from the tops of their heads in unison. Together, they released a surge of electricity that traveled up to the much taller cyborg and shocked him, "Gaaah!" The poor teen groaned as the robots bound him in wires and carried him back to the table.

"Repairs are not yet complete." The leader of the robots said, "Your biological components are imperfect, and must be replaced." As he said this, a metal door slid open to reveal mechanical parts in Cyborgs' likeness. Hands, arms, legs, and even a robotic facemask, all hung on a rack in front of him. These were going to replace his remaining human body parts.

Cyborg started at the rack of replacement parts in disbelief. "No…"

0-0

"_Biological Components: REMOVED. Repairs: COMPLETE._" Cyborg heard a robotic voice say.

"Awaken, friend. Awaken and see your _new face_." He heard another voice say to him as he opened his eyes.

In front of him was a mirror. In it, he could see the reflection of a complete cyborg. The body type was much of the same, but everything that was left of his human body was removed, leaving a complete robot. "Grrrr… RAAAA!" The robot roared in anger as he smashed the mirror. "AAAAAAHHHH!"

"AAAAAHHHH!" The African teen yelled as he woke up on the operating table again, this time bound by a thick steel strap around his body and wires attached to his breastplate. He began breathing heavily as he looked around to see he was still his normal self… or… Well, you know what I mean.

"Do not be afraid." The restrained Titan looked up to see Fixit standing next to him, "You were dreaming. Sleep will not be necessary once repairs are complete." The leader of the robots said in his eerily calm voice as he approached the replacement parts for the teen.

Cyborg began struggling against his binds, "What if I don't wanna be repaired? What if I like me this way?"

"Such thoughts come from your imperfect biological components." Fixit replied as he brought a soldering iron to the mask. "They will be replaced momentarily."

"Not if I can help it." Cyborg muttered with determination as he tried to free himself from the restraints.

0-0

High on the rooftops of Jump City, Mumbo leapt from building to building, avoiding getting arrested by the young heroes chasing him. As he made his way, Kylar, Raven, and Starfire flew after him while Beast Boy changed into a kangaroo and jumped through the city, much like the magician was. Robin was running parallel the villain on a higher building, keeping out of his line of sight.

Finally stopping his run, Mumbo turned around and pulled out his magic wand and pointed it to the four youths following him, "Abra Cadabra! Alakazam! Hocus Pocus!" He chanted as bright bolts of white lightning shot from the wand. The Titans weaved through the air, dodging the bolts, "You'll never stop the amazing Mumbo!" He cackled hysterically, "Never! Ne-" Robin swooped in front of him and yanked the wand from his hands. "Huh?" He looked up just in time to see the Boy Wonder snap his black and white stick in two. "AAAAHHHH!" Mumbo cried as countless sacks of money flew out of his pockets. Tears flowed from his eyes as the hat on his head disappeared and his skin color returned to a normal tan color, leaving a normal old man in a white dress shirt, black pants, and overalls kneeling on the ground.

Robin walked over, grabbed the man by his collar, and pulled him up, "No more tricks! Where. Is. Cyborg." He demanded angrily as a sweat drop fell from the bald mans head.

"How should I know?" He replied nervously.

"Where is he!?" Robin repeated.

"You took him from the junk yard." Raven said.

"What have you done with him?" Starfire asked angrily.

"Nothing! Honest!" The defenseless man cried, "When you broke my wand, you broke all my spells. Even if I had done something, it'd be over now." He explained, "Poof! He'd be standing right here!"

The Boy Wonder released his grip and let the old man fall to the ground, "If Cy's not with him…" Beast Boy trailed off.

"Then that means he's at…" Kylar added.

"The junkyard!" The group finished in unison.

"So, do I still have to go to jail?" The old man asked with a smile on his face. The teens all shot him a bored stare in response, "I thought so." He said sadly.

0-0

In the underground chamber, beneath the junkyard, Cyborg continued struggling to break the restraints while Fixit continued with the finishing touches on the robotic replacement parts.

"I am ready." The cloaked man said, pulling the soldering iron away from the mask, "We will begin now."

"Perfect timing. Rrrr-AAAH!" The metallic Titan roared as he finally broke the straps and ripped the cords connected to his chest off. In a mad dash, Cyborg sprinted towards an opening, only for the other cyborg to close it before he could escape. "I didn't wanna hafta do this but…" The teen turned his right hand into his sonic cannon and pointed it at the man who repaired him, only for the energy in the weapon to fizzle out before he could fire, "Huh?" He uttered as he brought his arm to his face to examine it.

"Your defensive systems have been _disabled_ for the procedure." The eerie blue-eyed cloaked man said, "They will be reactivated when repairs are complete."

Cyborg growled as he changed his hand back and charged the repairman. Focusing his eyes and causing them to glow red, Fixit brought metal tentacles down that wrapped around the African teens waist and arms. Struggling against the binds, the metallic Titan reached forward and grabbed his captors' cloak before pulling it away.

When he did so, Cyborg revealed something that was probably best left unseen; underneath the cloak were human organs preserved to such an extent that they looked more like cybernetic mechanical parts that gave off an ominous green glow instead of… you know, internal organs. If this man ever was human, he had abandoned that part of himself a _long_ time ago.

Cyborg could do nothing but gasp in shock at the sight. "The biological malfunctions are growing worse. We must begin at once." The tall man said as he pulled his cloak back to hide his interior.

0-0

Leaping into the hole in the junkyard, Robin landed in a crouch as he came across the external batteries Cyborg used when he fought in the junkyard. "His battery pack. He must've fallen down here." The spiky-haired Titan said to his friends. Beast Boy was the first to jump in after Robin, then Kylar, then Starfire, and finally Raven floated down. "Star, can you give us some light?"

The Tamaranean teen held up her hand and created a green ball of energy that radiated in the darkness, giving off light for the team as they ventured further underground.

"Cyborg!"

"Cy!"

"Where you at, buddy?"

The Titans called out for their friend as they continued walking, only to receive no response.

0-0

Back inside the atrium, Fixit was hard at work welding the mechanical parts to the missing Titans' body. Cyborg could do nothing but groan in pain as he struggled to free himself again from the metal straps that kept him tied to the operating table.

0-0

The members of the team continued walking until they heard the whirring of machine parts moving and stopped. Robin gasped as he looked up and saw a giant cycloptic robot that towered over them. More and more smaller robots made their way to the group as though they were drawn to the light like moths to a flame.

"Wow." Beast Boy awed as he looked at the giant machine, "Hehe, uh… any of you guys seen a dude about this tall, with one red eye, and titanium body armor?" The young changeling explained as he changed to look like the person he was describing.

The machines did not respond, instead they inched closer and closer to the group. "I don't think this is the welcoming party." Kylar commented.

"Teen Titans! GO!" The leader yelled. On command, the rest of the team separated and charged the robots. Starfire chucked a few starbolts at some of the robots, causing them to explode when they hit. Robin began punching and kicking a group as he ran through the darkness. Beast Boy growled as he transformed into a gorilla before grabbing one spherical robot and tearing it apart. Kylar formed aura around his legs and slammed his right foot into the ground, causing a shockwave of energy that caused a fissure that a few robots were unfortunate enough to get caught in. Raven formed her magic around her hands as she sliced through the larger robot, cutting it into four pieces before it fell apart and exploded.

0-0

Fixit continued working on an unwilling Cyborg as he closed a hatch on the teens' abdomen before walking over to the wall of robotic replacement parts and grabbing the facemask.

Cyborg continued struggling even when the repairman stood over him, "Do not resist. It's for the best." He said as he lowered the facemask.

"No it isn't!" The restrained teen argued; trying everything he could to prevent the loss of his remaining humanity. "If you take out my biological components, you take out the best part of me! The part that makes me who I am!" He explained as the piece of metal finally covered his face.

"Your memories. Your… self… will be preserved." Fixit said as his eyes glowed red, "I will download them into your new brain." A long metal cord extended from the gray circle on the mans' forehead and attached itself to the bionic Titans' head.

"No, you can't do this! Please! You don't understand!" Cyborg pleaded, trying to resist the forceful extraction of his mind. "NOOOOOOO!" In a bright flash, everything that happened earlier that day; the shining sun, the gentle breeze, eating the four and a half pound rack of baby-back ribs, Starfire drinking mustard, playing football, the faces of his friends, meeting the small boy with the robotic arm, everything echoed through his mind and into the cloaked tall mans'.

"Aaaahhhh!" Fixit groaned as the cord retracted into his forehead before stumbling backwards and falling to the ground.

0-0

Starfire held up her hands to continue illuminating the Titans' surrounding area. Robin, Kylar, Raven, and Beast Boy all prepared themselves for a continued assault, however they noticed that the red light in the robots' eyes slowly began to fade before completely disappearing as the robots shut down. The Titans simply stared in confusion as their opponents began collapsing to the floor.

0-0

Back in the operating room, Cyborg dropped the facemask and dropped to the floor, landing in a crouch as he glanced over to the piece of metal that would have been his new face.

A green-gloved hand reached down and placed itself on the Titans' shoulder, "Cyborg," the metallic teen looked over his shoulder and saw Robin standing behind him, "Are you okay?" The leader asked worriedly.

"Yeah," He responded as he stood up.

"So… beautiful…" The teens heard a voice say from the other side of the atrium. They looked over to see Fixit lift himself off the ground and rest on his knees. "I had forgotten… _how_ beautiful." He said sadly. "The world… through your eyes…"

"Through human eyes." Cyborg added as he walked over to the lowered cloaked man, "The same kind you have." He crouched down to get on the other cyborgs' level.

Fixit held up his right hand and looked at it, "Perhaps_ I_ am the one in need of repairs."

Cyborg stood up and extended his left hand to the misunderstood man, "And maybe I'm the guy who can help repair you." Fixit turned around and smiled before taking the African teens' hand and stood up.

0-0

Finally above ground, the Titans' enjoyed a picnic in the park just as they did earlier. Even Fixit was there, enjoying his first day in the shining sun in who knows how long. Kylar, Raven, Fixit, and Starfire were sitting on the blanket they had set out on the grass, Beast Boy walked over holding plates of tofu foods, Robin was standing on the grass, next to Starfire, while the orange-skinned girl drank from another bottle of mustard, causing everyone to cringe a bit. Fixit may have isolated himself from humanity for a long time, but even he knew that drinking straight mustard was not something people did.

Away from the rest of the group, Cyborg made his way towards his friends, holding a football in hand, "Cyborg! Hey, Cyborg!" He heard a child's voice call out to him. He turned around to see the blue-capped boy with the robotic arm approach him, accompanied by another boy who had brown hair and wore a forest green collared shirt and blue jeans. "See? He's Cyborg. He's just like me!" The blue-capped boy said excitedly as he held up his robotic arm.

"Whoa, cool!" the other boy awed at the sight.

"I am just like you," The taller African teen smiled, "But it's not your arm that makes us the same," He leaned closer and pointed a finger on the boys' chest, "It's the stuff connected to it." This caused the two boys to smile happily. "Now go deep!" He pointed as he readied the football in his hand to be thrown. On his word, the two boys laughed while they ran. Once they were far enough, Cyborg tossed the ball to the two boys, the one with the prosthetic caught it and cheered happily.

He may have been more machine than human now, but the metallic Titan knew it wasn't all of him, _he_ was what made _him_ who he was, and he was happy he could spend his days with friends who cared about him.

* * *

_**"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment."**_

_**-Ralph Waldo Emerson**_

**Author's Notes:**

**Greetings and salutations oh beautiful people of the Galactic Network. Another chapter finished and hopefully you all enjoyed it for what it's worth.**

**I want to thank everyone again for all the follows and favorites, it really means a lot to me, and I am just glad that you all think positively of my writing. Or if you're just someone killing time because you have nothing else better to do, thank you anyway because it helps a lot.**

**Fast Facts: Did you know Mumbo was originally not going to be in this episode? The creators added him in to add some comic relief to an otherwise creepy plot. It would also explain why both Fixit and Mumbo are voiced by none other than Tom Kenny. If you don't know who Tom Kenny is, he voices the titular character of Spongebob Squarepants, and also voices the Ice King/Simon Petrikov in Adventure Time.**

**He also voices Spyro the Dragon in Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage and Year of the Dragon, as well as other characters from those games.**

**ENOUGH POINTLESS TRIVIA! Okay, so thank you all again for you time. Remember to write a review if you want to, it helps me try and become a better writer. If you have any questions or suggestions, PM me, I'd love to hear your thoughts. And... I think that's it.**

**So, until next time, See You Space Cowboys.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the DC Universe nor do I own anything from Teen Titans. Any other references made belong to their respective owners. Again I own nothing.**


	8. Nevermore

**Author's Notes:**

**Hello and welcome again, my beautiful people. I hope you don't mind me switching things up a bit and putting the author's notes at the beginning of the chapter rather than at the end. Oh... you don't care? Well... good, I don't care either. It's just as a little social experiment to see if people are more inclined to read the author's notes if they are at the beginning of the chapter rather than at the end.  
I want to thank everyone again for you love and support... or hate and rejection, of the series. I can't believe how many views I've gotten on this story in the amount of time it's been on the sight. So I want to thank everyone for reading it.**

**Don't forget to leave a review if you want to, or don't, I don't care. But I love to hear your thoughts. Also, if you have any questions or suggestions, PM me, I'll be happy to hear from you.**

**Uh... yeah, I think that's it. Enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

Nighttime in Jump City is as beautiful as seeing New York City at night from the sky. The bright lights of the buildings bringing the city to life and the suburban areas slowly but surely turning off their lights as the residents drifted off to sleep. Downtown, however, is always lively. And what better way to kick off the nightlife than a capsized armored truck in the middle of the street. _Wait, what_?

That's right, along a street in downtown Jump, an armored truck, whose back doors had been broken open, laid on its side as gold bullion spilled out onto the pavement. Perched on the vehicle, a bearded, helmeted male figure clad in a skintight black outfit with a light bulb on his chest stood, facing off against Cyborg, Starfire, and Robin.

The man created yellow electrical orbs around both his hands, "Your pathetic skills can't outshine the _brilliance_ of Dr. Light!" The man exclaimed as he brought his hands together, launching a broad beam of light at the young heroes. After scattering to avoid the attack, Robin leapt high into the air and flung one of his birdarangs at the super villain, who jumped off the truck to avoid both it and the throwers' lunge. "You're fast, but I doubt you'll enjoy moving at the speed of _light_!" Dr. Light taunted as he touched the bulb on his chest, causing it to glow and emit a wide-angle blast that propelled the Boy Wonder over the roof of a nearby building. Beast Boy then came around a corner and charged the light-themed villain, turning into a wolf mid-stride. Once he got close enough, the robber easily ducked to the side, avoiding a collision with the green lupine. "A wolf is no threat when it's blind as a _bat_!" He cackled as he threw several glowing globes of light at the green hero. These projectiles exploded in a series of brilliant flashes and left the poor changeling so dazzled that he reverted to his human form and clapped both hands to his head woozily as he curled up into a ball on the ground. At the next moment, Starfire flew overhead and unleashed a barrage of starbolts, only for her target to create a radiant, transparent shield around himself to block the assault. After the Tamaranean stopped firing, Dr. Light dropped the shield and threw a landmine-like device onto the street. Its top opened and emitted a wall of radiation that enveloped the alien Titan and isolated her from the fight.

Smirking at his success, Dr. Light was caught by surprise by a purplish-black orb that struck him squarely in the chest and sent him skidding across the pavement. Struggling a little to sit up, the villain saw the brown-haired member of the Titans float down and land in front of him, dispelling his aura around his legs and putting his hands in his jacket pockets. "No amount of light can shine if darkness surrounds it." Kylar said with a malicious grin on his face. With a growl, the robber leapt towards the black-jacketed teen with a right jab. The teen nonchalantly grabbed the older mans' wrist with his hand before the fist could connect with his face, "Really? That's _all_ you've got?" Kylar sighed, his tone oozing with boredom.

With a smirk, Dr. Light opened his palm and released a brilliant beam of light from his hand that flashed through the brunettes' face at full force. When the beam disappeared, Kylars' face looked as though it had lost all sense of life, his hair stuck up behind his head and had turned white, his normally deep blue eyes had faded in color as they grew to the size of saucers, and his skin turned a lighter shade of olive as well. With a forced smile, and a twitch in his right eye, the surprised Titan released his opponents' wrist and fell backwards completely frozen, landing on the ground like a plank of wood. "I am the _light_ that pierces the dark void!" The villain laughed as he made his way back to the truck full of gold.

However, once he reached the truck, something caught his attention. "Watch yourself, lightweight." The villain heard a voice say to him. He turned to see Cyborg on the other side of the armored car, carrying the front half of one axle in hand, tire and all. "Things are about to get _heavy_!" The metallic Titan yelled as he swung the axle down over the villains' head. The attack missed, but it created enough of a tremor when it struck the ground that it threw Dr. Light back a few feet. The light wielder concentrated his energy in one hand and projected an intense beam at the makeshift club, causing it to break in the bionic teens' hands. Laughing, the bearded, black jumpsuit wearing enemy created a red projectile above his head and directed it at Cyborg, exploding in a terrific flash and surrounding the Titan in a storm of dust. When the dust cleared, the African teen was embedded in the melted remains of the truck, with only his head and hands free. "Uh! Hey! Let me…" The trapped Titan struggled to get free, before the villain approached him.

"Now if nobody minds, I'll be taking the gold." Dr. Light said triumphantly as he put his hands on his hips.

"I mind." A female voice called out to the villain. Dr. Light turned around and saw Raven flying towards him, summoning her magic in her hands, "Azarath Metrion Zin-" Before she could finish her incantation; a beam of light connected squarely with her and sent her skidding across the street, causing the brooch on her cloak now showed the silhouette of a raven's head in its gold frame.

"Bit of advice," The light-wielding enemy began as he warmed more energy in his hands as he approached her, "Find shorter magic words."

The mage got herself ready again and surrounded a motorcycle that was down the street in her black magic. She levitated and slung it at her opponent, only for him to easily blow it apart before nailing her with another blast of light that launched her down the block again. As Dr. Light approached her again, she got on her knees and faced her back to him.

"Don't come any closer." The cloaked teen warned menacingly. However, her warning fell on deaf ears as the man continued his approach.

"What's the matter? Afraid of the _light_?" He asked as he summoned more light into his hands. Snarling in pure rage, Raven swirled to her feet. Her eyes were glowing bright red rather than the usual white when she used her powers as she grew to an impossible height, at least three times taller than the lightweight. Thick black tendrils shot out from the shadows under her cloak towards the man, "No! No!" Dr. Light cried out fearfully as the tendrils wrapped tightly around his body, sparks flying from his jumpsuit, "My suit! What are you-no! Stop! You win! I surrender!" Unfortunately, his pleas came too late as he was dragged toward the billowing blue hem.

"_**What's the matter? Afraid of the dark?"**_ Raven smiled viciously down at him, her voice sounding as if some demonic entity was saying her words along with her.

"I surrender! NOOOOOO!" The poor villain cried before getting pulled into the shadows.

"RAVEN! STOP!" Robin shouted as he ran towards the mage, having returned from his flight across the city. The sound of the team leaders' voice successfully snapped her out of her rage as she gasped sharply and shrunk back to normal size. Her cloak receded to reveal the beaten enemy, curled up in a fetal position on the pavement and shivering in wide-eyed fear. The Boy Wonder and Starfire, having freed herself from her trap, ran up, "It's okay. You're going to be all right." Robin said, trying to comfort the terrified man.

"It was… so… so dark… make it stop… make it stop…" Dr. Light shuddered as he hesitated to speak. His armor set, and entire body looked as though it had aged an entire decade from the fear.

After freeing their friend trapped in the pavement, Kylar, the color having returned to his head, Beast Boy, and Cyborg walked up to the mage to see the commotion. "Raven, are you okay?" The brunette asked as he extended a hand and placed it on her shoulder. Turning to face him, the mage snarled at her teammate as her eyes glowed red again, causing the black-jacketed teen to throw his hands up and back away nervously as the changeling and bionic Titan screamed in fear behind him. After composing herself, Raven stalked away from the trio.

"What's her deal?" Beast Boy asked as they watched her enter a dark alley and soon disappear in the shadows.

0-0

The following morning, Beast Boy was in the Tower kitchen cooking breakfast for his teammates. Cyborg, Starfire, and Robin were seated at the table as they waited for the food, Raven and Kylar had not entered the Ops Center yet. After the fighting last night, the changeling wanted to do something nice for his friends. So donning a chef's hat, he made it his mission to make an amazing breakfast.

"Rise and shine, amigos." The chef said cheerfully as he carried a steaming pan over to the table, "Breakfast is served."

"Thanks, Beast Boy. Everything looks great." The spiky-haired Titan said as the green teen set the pan down.

"On my planet, such a feast would mark the arrangement of a marriage." Starfire explained as the changeling put food on plates for his friends, "Tell me, Beast Boy, to whom are you engaged?"

Not quite ready to deal with the Tamaraneans' curveball questions so early in the day, Beast Boy shouted in surprise as he jumped back, catching his hat in order to keep it from flying across the room. Meanwhile, Cyborg started wolfing down a plateful of food. When he finished, he burped loudly before his expression changed to resemble that of a person who had just eaten a skunk, spitting the meal out disgustedly as a result.

"That's not eggs! That's that tofu stuff!" The metallic teen cried before draining his glass to get the taste out of his mouth. Instead, his whole head ends up looking as if it might explode before spitting the liquid the same way the food went, "That's not even real _milk_!"

Beast Boy gave the African teen a reproving frown as the door opened, admitting Raven into the room, her hood down as her cloak draped over her body. Paying no mind to the breakfast table, she headed for the kitchen counter.

"Hey, Raven. Want breakfast?" Robin asked as he held a cup in his hand. Next to him, Starfire had a mouth full of the tofu food that the chef served.

Ignoring the masked Titans' offer, the mage picked up a coffeepot and poured a cup as Beast Boy popped up behind her with a full plate of tofu. "It's good. Wakey-wakey, tofu eggs and bakey." The green teen sang as he held the plate out.

"Herbal tea." The girl returned.

"Come on, just one little taste." The chef pleaded, "You could use a little food after the way you cooked Dr. Light."

"NO!" Raven shouted angrily as she whirled around to face him, her eyes blazing red. The cook gasped in fear as the mages' powers leaked onto the plate he held. The eggs exploded like a volcano, leaving him covered with his own cuisine as he made a strangled little noise before dropping the plate.

As Raven headed towards the door, it opened to reveal Kylar yawning before entering the room, "Oh, hey Raven. How are-"

"Fine." The violet-haired girl cut him off as she brushed past him and headed down the hall.

"You…" The brunette finished as he watched the girl walk further from him. "Did something happen?" He asked as he walked to the breakfast table, picking up a plate of food and walking over to the kitchen counter.

"Nothing happened!" Beast Boy cried, "I just try to be nice and she gets angry for no reason!"

"Maybe you should go apologize." The Boy Wonder said as he eased over to the distraught teen.

"Me? I'm not the one who just turned breakfast into a battlefield!" The greenling argued, pointing to the plate in his hands.

"Yeah, but after the weirdness that went down last night, you should know better than to go messing with her." Cyborg added, carrying his dishes to the sink as he passed the two shorter teens.

"I was trying to be _nice_!" Beast Boy repeated, "But no matter how hard I try, she _still_ treats me like tofu eggs!" Cyborg began washing dishes. "You know, she's never once laughed at any of my jokes."

"You mean she actually listens to you?" Kylar asked jokingly as he lifted a fork, full of food, to his mouth.

"Yeah, I just kinda tune you out." The bionic Titan admitted, causing the brunette to chuckle a bit. A sight gag showed a small storm cloud form briefly over the disgruntled green Titan's head.

"Raven is complicated. There is much about her we are not meant to understand." Starfire stated as she stood up and joined the group.

"Then how are we supposed to deal with her? How can we even trust her? I mean-"

"She's our friend. What more do we need to know?" Robin asked, trying to calm his friend down.

"Yeah, B. Let her actions speak for her." Kylar added before finally taking a bite of his breakfast. Cyborg shot him a terrified stare as he watched the black-jacketed teen swallow the food, "What?"

The breakfast cook put his mental machinery to work as he tried to sort out what he should do.

0-0

A little while later, Beast Boy was in the hall, standing before a closed door and scratching his head. After a few seconds, he gingerly raised his left fist, turning his head away as if ready to avoid a sudden explosion, and just barely tapped the door.

"Oh well, nobody's home." The boy shrugged, relieved that he didn't need to confront the agitated mage at the moment. He started whistling as he turned away from the door, only to run flat into Cyborg, with Kylar standing next to him. "Ow." He groaned as he looked up to see his two taller teammates glaring down at him.

"You might want to knock a little louder." The bulky bionic said as he and Kylar planted a hand on both his shoulder's and turned him to face the door again. A little shudder of fear came from the little one as they approached the door. The robotic teen knocked much louder than his colleague's feeble attempt; on the third and final knock, the entire door fell off its hinges and revealed the interior to the trio.

"Maybe that was _too_ loud." Kylar stated.

"Now we all have to apologize." Beast Boy groaned as the three glanced into the room. The sight of the room proved beyond any doubt that Raven's tastes were about as dark as they come. Shelves filled with old books, four-eyed tragedy and comedy masks on a pedestal, a hexagonally shaped mirror mounted on the wall, chalices and braziers, ancient chests and lamps, a bed partly recessed into the far wall, and a large globe in the near corner. To top it off, the entire room was done in shades of gray and black.

"Uh, Raven? Sorry about the door." The metallic Titan called out as he looked around the room, "Raven?"

"Dude, she's not here. Come on." Beast Boy said as he led the group into the room. "Looks like Halloween came early this year." He remarked when he reached the bookshelves and masks.

"Wow, so this is Raven's room." Kylar awed as he picked a book off the shelf, "Wonder what she likes reading." He muttered as he opened the book.

"_We're in Raven's room._" Cyborg whispered nervously as he tiptoed into the room, "_We should not be in Raven's room. She doesn't let _anybody_ in here-ever!_"

"So this is our big chance to find out more about her." The changeling returned as he crossed the room and stood next to the dresser by the wall, "For instance…" He laughed and picked up a hand mirror; studying his image, "…check out his beauty mirror. Who woulda thought Raven spends time sprucing?" He joked as he looked at his face closely, "Ah! Is that a zit?" He cried as he poked his cheek.

"Beast Boy, it's one thing to look around, but I wouldn't touch any of her things." The brunette said as he flipped a page in the old book he took off the shelf, the irony completely escaping him.

As the greenling continued poking his cheek, two pairs of glowing red eyes, one above the other, superimposed themselves on his image. Disappearing a moment later, the boy gasped in shock as he dropped the mirror and backed up with a cry of fear. The next moment, a red-rimmed swath of black energy shot straight up from the hand mirror, shaped itself into an arm, and grabbed the defenseless teen. He was shaken back and forth as Cyborg and Kylar paid him no mind, Kylar having returned the book in its' proper place, and Cyborg having reached the doorway.

The metallic Titan made his way out of the room, "Come on, guys, we should really get out-"

"Cy! We got a problem!" The brunette yelled as he ran over and grabbed both of the changelings' ankles, trying to pull him free from the hand.

"Huh?" Cyborg turned around and saw the struggle, "Yo!" The hand started to be too much for the brunette as it started dragging him and Beast Boy down, but the bionic teen was there in one swift leap to grab Kylar by his waist and pull. However, this proved to be ineffective as all three Titans were yanked through the looking glass, which returned to its normal appearance as it gave off a small puff of smoke.

0-0

Inside a whirlpool of dark-glowing energy, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Kylar screamed as they were swept through an area of subspace before falling towards a large asteroid floating in a patch of outer space, surrounded by red stars. The vortex closed after dropping them towards the rock.

Kylar was the first to approach the large landing. Before impact, he formed his aura around his arms and legs, which stopped him a few inches in the air; his body parallel to the rock. "Phew." He sighed, only for his green teammate to land on him, causing him to crash into the ground face first. Then followed by the larger, heavier teammate landing on both of them.

"Real nice, BB." Cyborg sarcastically said as he rubbed his head, "Way to get us trapped in Raven's mirror."

"Me? I told you we shouldn't have gone in her room!" The changeling cried as he pushed the metallic Titans' legs off him and stood up, "Where's Ky?"

"Uh, guys…" The two heard a muffled voice call out. They looked down and saw Kylar face down on the rock, "I think my organs are bleeding." He added, still muffled by the asteroid.

Cyborg quickly stood up and helped his friend off the ground, "Sorry 'bout that." He apologized.

"It's cool." Kylar grunted as he popped his spine back into place when he stood up.

Beast Boy walked around the asteroid, staring out into the red starry sky, "Uh… where are we?"

Cyborg tapped his forearm controls, "You're asking the wrong robot." He answered, "My sensors must be on the blink, 'cause they're saying we're in Titans Tower." He finished before closing the scanner on his arm.

"Riiiight. So how do we get back?" The green teen asked. The three looked around them for a brief moment.

"I guess we start by walking." Kylar said as he approached the edge of the asteroid.

"Come on. I'm serious. We're on a rock in the middle of-" The sound of something large shifting cut Beast Boy off. In the middle of the void, several fragments of rock rearranged themselves to form a winding path. "Oh…" The changeling muttered as the three of them set out. "If sending us to Weirdsville's Raven's idea of a joke, I am _so_ not laughing."

"B, she didn't send us here." Kylar said as they continued walking.

"Yeah, _you're_ the one who went snooping in her room and popping zits in her magic mirror." Cyborg accused as he pointed a finger at the shorter teen.

"Who booby-traps a mirror?" Beast Boy asked, "And how come _I'm_ the one in trouble? Kylar picked up a creepy book too!"

"Luck of the draw, I guess." The brunette responded, "Besides, I don't think the mirror was a trap." He added as they continued looking around the empty space.

"Maybe it's Raven's way home." Cyborg added, "Maybe _this_ is where she's from."

"Definitely creepy enough." The green Titan stated.

"_**Turn back.**_" A feminine, childlike voice echoed through the air, causing the three to stop walking and pivot in an attempt to locate the speaker.

"Like I was saying…" Beast Boy said, scared out of his wits.

"_**Turn back.**_" The voice repeated. Kylar followed the sound of the voice to a rocky arch over the path. Perched on it were three small black birds, each of which showed a pair of large red eyes to the brunette. "_**Turn back.**_" The black chicks repeated as Beast Boy and Cyborg caught up to their friend.

"Sweet! Betcha they can tell us how to get home." The green Titan cheered as he passed both of his taller teammates.

"Careful. How do we know they're not a threat?" The metallic teen asked cautiously.

"They could attack you if you scare them." Kylar added, "Maybe we should leave them alone."

"Hel-lo? Remember me? Beast Boy?" Beast Boy asked as he turned to face the two and pointed his thumb at himself, "If they were dangerous, I'd know." His reassuring smile didn't convince the other two in the least bit as they both shot him disapproving glares. Said guy turned to the arch and adopted the sort of tone one might use with a small kitten. "Hey little guys. My buddies and I were wondering if-" The animal speaker stopped when he looked up on the arch and saw that the birds had disappeared.

Looking down, Beast Boy saw five black birds gathered at his feet, repeating the warning, "_**Turn back,**_" over and over. Suddenly, their beaks elongated and sprouted small sharp teeth as each eye split into two smaller, narrower ones.

"Aaah!" The scared green Titan cried as the birds snarled at him. He quickly turned around and ran straight into Cyborg and Kylar, causing the former to tumble and skid across the ground while the latter two crashed down on the stone pathway.

Now multiplied into a flock of ravens, the birds flew past the two downed Titans and zeroed in on the skidding shape-shifter. He quickly turned into a hippopotamus and opened his mouth. A trio of ravens perched on his tongue before the animals' jaws snapped shut. The prey squirmed within the green hippos' mouth and after a moment he opened his mouth again to shake them off, showing that the birds had clamped their beaks into the lingual muscle.

After another pass, Cyborg stood up just as more of the dark birds swarmed him, causing the metallic Titan to run around the pathway, "Get 'em off me! Get 'em off me! Cut it out!" He cried as he attempted to fend off the attackers.

Kylar was the last to stand up. Dusting himself off, he noticed his two teammates running up to him as they attempted to escape their pursuers. Beast Boy passed him first, in the form of a green ostrich while Cyborg followed.

The aura manipulator flinched in surprise as the flock of ravens approached. He quickly crouched to duck under the birds, only to find that they paid him no mind when they flew past. When he lifted his head, he felt something soft nuzzle against his left cheek. He turned his head and saw one of the small black chicks from earlier perched on his shoulder. He smiled in relief as he held up his right index finger to the chick as it jumped onto it. Holding the bird in front of him, Kylar scratched the top of its' head with his other hand before it flew off as the flock of ravens passed by again. When the brunette looked up to see what was going on, he noticed Cyborg was now riding a green llama and shooting his sonic cannon at their fleeing attackers.

When the llama stood next to the brunette, another raven flew past them again. In response, Cyborg growled as he tried blasting it. Then again, and again, until finally one creature flew next to the mammals' legs. The bionic then blasted in its direction, only to miss and hit the walkway. Fractured by the energy, the stone path started crumbling away. The three Titans' looked to the ground then at each other, trading a classic look of despair before dropping.

At the last second, Cyborg dug his left hand into the pelt of the animal while his right dug into the broken rock. Kylar was holding onto the hind legs of the llama as he began forming purplish-black energy around his own.

The African teen started hauling his two friends up but stopped when he heard a very familiar voice, "Hey, guys." The three males heard a cheerful voice call out. They all turned their heads to look and saw Raven standing upside down on the pathway with no ill effects whatsoever. What was most shocking to them, however, was that she was clad in all pink; pink boots, pink cloak, and pink wristbands. "What's up?" The girl asked as she waved to them.

"I don't know anymore." Cyborg muttered quietly. Suddenly, gravity decided to pull a prank on the three interlopers and completely flipped 180 degrees, putting the now pink-clad mage right side up and the boys upside down. "Whoa!" The three boys cried as they crashed back onto the platform.

Beast Boy was the first to stand up, "Raven?! How did-where are-what just-" He stammered before he took another look at the sorceress, "-why are you wearing pink?" He asked, as though that was the most pressing matter at the moment.

"'Cause it's my favorite color." Raven giggled as she responded.

Kylar quickly shot up and stood next to his shorter friend, shooting her the same confused stare he was, "It is?" The brunette asked.

Cyborg was the last to get up, "Look, I'd love to talk fashion, but I don't suppose you know how to get home." He said as he dusted himself off.

"The Forbidden Door." The pink mage answered as she motioned to a few arches down the path that led to a distant asteroid. "It's the only way out, but you don't want to go there. Not now."

"Uh… yeah, we do." The three males stated in unison.

"'Kay, but don't say I didn't warn you." Raven said happily as she ran towards the nearest arch, making airplane sounds and stretching her arms out like wings.

"Have you ever seen her this happy?" Cyborg asked as the three followed their cheerful teammate.

"Dude, I didn't even know Raven could _do_ happy." Beast Boy replied, a bit of surprise in his tone.

As they passed through the arch, the dark and dreary landscape faded more and more to make way for a peaceful-looking landscape under a bright yellow sky. "Now where are we?" The bionic Titan asked as the three continued walking down the path that threaded through and bisected a huge meadow filled with pink grass and trees.

"I think this might be where air fresheners come from." The changeling remarked as a small strawberry floated up to them. Kylar plucked it out of the air and popped it into his mouth before it passed by.

"Haha! Good one!" Raven giggled as she popped up next to the trio.

The three assumed shocked expressions after hearing their resident ice queen laugh. "You're laughing?" Cyborg asked in bewilderment.

"At one of _my _jokes?" Beast Boy asked as he slapped his hanging jaw closed.

"Are you feeling all right?" Kylar asked before composing himself.

"Sure. I've always thought you were funny, BB. Buy hey, looks aren't everything." The cheery mage smiled, "C'mon, it's this way." She said as she grabbed the brunette by his hand and pulled him through the meadow.

"Whoa! Wait a-" Kylar tried to protest, but the cheerful grin on the girls' face quickly quieted him as he just smiled in defeat. The other two Titans just watched in disbelief as their brown-haired friend was dragged through the flowers.

0-0

Meanwhile, at Titans Tower, a blue-clad Raven was sitting at the edge of the roof crossed legged as she meditated.

"Raven… you okay?" Robin asked as he and Starfire walked up behind their friend, "We stopped by your room and the door's been knocked down." He added.

When they reached the meditating girl, her eyes popped open, wide as saucers, before she laughed uncontrollably for a few seconds. The sound scared the other two out of their wits as Raven clapped both hands over her mouth to stop herself, "Need to be alone." She said demurely as she stood up and hurried over to the door leading to the roof, a bright red blush apparent on her face.

Robin and Starfire watched in confusion as she left, "Many of your Earthly ways are still strange to me, but that was… just plain freaky. Correct?" The Tamaranean asked as the Boy Wonder nodded in response.

0-0

Inside the Tower, Raven peeked around the frame of her wrecked door. Looking around after entering, the mage lifted the door with her magic and put it back in order with an easy motion of her hand. Walking in a bit further, she stopped short when she saw the hand mirror at her feet.

"No…" She uttered in a horrified tone, assuming the worst that could have happened.

0-0

"They ditched us! I can't believe Raven and Ky ditched us!" Beast Boy cried angrily as he and the remaining member of the team continued walking on the path through the flowery field. The other two ran ahead of the duo when she grabbed the brunette and disappeared in a flurry of flowers. Now, it was just the green teen and Cyborg left to find their own way out. "Next time I see them, it's _not_ gonna be pretty," the changeling grumbled as the scenery dissolved back into the outer-space region they were in before, causing the two to look around in confusion.

"Hey, I know where we are! We're in that place where I _didn't_ know where we were before." Cyborg groaned as he clapped both his hands on his head. Just then, they heard what sounded like someone passing through a force field behind them. They turned around and saw Kylar approaching them, scratching the back of his head as he looked around in confusion.

"Oh hey, there you guys are." The brunette said with a smile as he walked up to the two.

"How'd you come out behind us?" The bulky, taller teen asked.

"I dunno," The black-jacketed Titan shrugged, "When Rae led me through the field, she let go of my hand as a storm of petals flew around us. Next thing I knew, she just vanished."

"Aw man!" The greenling cried as he pulled on his lower eyelids, "That means she ditched all of us! Now how are we supposed to get home?" Just as Beast Boy finished complaining, Raven popped up in front of the trio, a very sad and fearful facial expression on her face, and startled the daylights out of them. "WHERE WERE YOU? SHOPPING FOR ROBES?" The changeling shouted furiously as a sight gag showed his head growing a few sizes and flushed an angry red with a vein popping out of his temple, while the mage shrunk to midget size in his shadow and started crying. The two quickly returned to normal size as her tears kept flowing. "Whoa. Easy." Beast Boy tried calming the girl, "I didn't mean it. Please don't-"

"Beast Boy," Kylar cut off his shorter comrades sentence, disappointed in his behavior, "How are you _ever_ gonna get a girlfriend if you make a woman cry?" He approached the sulking sorceress, "Hey… hey… it's okay." He said endearingly as he softly pulled the mage in for a hug. The girl froze up like a block of ice at the initial contact, but eventually thawed as she returned the hug, resting her head in the taller teens' chest, "It's all right, don't worry."

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to make you angry." Raven sniffed as she clenched the back of his jacket with her hands.

"No ones mad at you, Rae." The brunette said soothingly, comforting the girl as he stroked the back of her head, "Right, B?" He turned his head and glared at the green teen.

"Hehe… right…" Beast Boy chuckled nervously as a sweat drop fell from his head.

"Hey!" The three heard Cyborg call out to them. They turned and saw him smiling as he pointed ahead, down the path towards the asteroid at the end. "That's that Forbidden Door, right, Raven?" Having released Kylar, the girl nodded worriedly in response. "Come on, y'all! We're almost-" A high metal wall sprang up from the stone surface, blocking his rush. "Whoa!"

More walls emerged and boxed in the four Titans, creating multiple pathways up and down the winding stone walkway. A moment later, Beast Boy turned into a hawk and flew up towards the open top of the labyrinth. Just as he was about to surmount the walls, a force field crackled to life, shocking the poor bird, and sending him crashing to the ground.

After he landed, the bird transformed back into his human form, "Great." The green teen groaned as he sat up and rubbed his head.

The metallic Titan broke out his sonic cannon and aimed it at the walls, "Oh man, we gotta get outta here!" He grunted as he fired a few bursts at the walls. However, these blasts proved to be ineffective, as they didn't even leave a scratch on them.

"It's a maze. You can't get out." Raven spoke up, sadness very apparent in her tone, "You have to go through. I can show you the way, but when we reach the end, you won't like me anymore." She turned and looked at Beast Boy, "_He_ already doesn't like me."

"Come on. That's not…" Beast Boy replied sadly as Raven started down the way. The three boys stared after her as she turned the corner, "Gee, Raven, moody much?" The green teen asked irately as a puff of smoke came from his head.

"Yeah, she's like a whole different person." Cyborg added as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Then again, you _did_ yell at her." Kylar directed his words at the shorter Titan before walking towards the corner. "Come on, we're gonna lose her if we don't hurry." He said, beckoning to his comrades before running down the path.

As they were walking through the labyrinth, Kylar had caught up to the shy mage. She clung onto his sleeve like a lost child for protection as they walked, and apologized to all three of them for things she had done to them in the past.

"And… remember the time I called you guys immature pinheads?" The timid mage asked as she and the brunette rounded a corner of the maze, "I'm sorry for that too. And also the-"

"For the hundredth, millionth time…" Beast Boy groaned as he and Cyborg followed behind the other two.

"…We forgive you!" He and the bionic man cried out in unison as they saw Kylar and Raven standing in front of what looked like a dead end and looking back at them.

After releasing the brunettes' arm, the gray-cloaked sorceress walked over to the wall and waved timidly towards it. Sliding open like a pair of interlocking doors, the opening revealed a short path that led out of the maze. At the end of the walkway, two tall stone statues were positioned on both ends of the path, both were chiseled with long cloaks and had faces that matched the masks in Ravens' room. Each only had one arm, on the side towards the wall next to it.

"That's the end." The shy mage said timidly.

"Sweet!" Beast Boy cheered.

"All right, Raven!" Cyborg whooped as he and the others began heading for the egress, however, the gray sorceress did not join them. Just as the trio of boys approached the stone statues, the eyes of the smiling statue glowed red, followed by those of the frowning one. The two halves slammed back to back and performed three quick half-turns in front of the group, putting the smile into view, then the frown, then the smile again. The boys watched in shock as long swords materialized in its hands while a second set of arms shot out from its back. "What?" Was all the metallic Titan could say about what unfolded in front of them.

"No way." Beast Boy groaned.

"That's not good." Kylar sighed as he brought his hands to his head and tussled his hair.

"Told you you wouldn't like me when we got here." Raven said sadly before phasing through the ground, leaving the three alone as the stone giant advanced towards them.

0-0

"_Aaaaahhh_!" A man screamed as he ran from a huge green monster. The image was cut off by static until it resolved to a view of a chef, clad all in red, working in the kitchen.

"_Now the salt_." The cook said as he stirred an eggbeater in a bowl in front of him. In the Operations Center of the Tower, Robin was lounging on the couch as he watched the shows on the window screen. "_Stir continuously until thickened_." The Boy Wonder pointed the remote at the TV and pressed a button, changing the station again, this time showing a Western.

Behind the masked leader, Starfire paced back and forth before approaching the male, "May we go see if she is feeling better?" The girl asked.

"She said she wanted to be alone." Robin replied before changing the channel again.

0-0

Back inside the outer-space area, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Kylar backed nervously down the path as the sculpture guardian slid closer and closer to them, both blades at the ready. As it bore down on them, the shape-shifter did just as his powers allowed and transformed into a hawk before flying away. The brunette quickly turned around and ran in the opposite direction of the rock man while the robotic Titan let loose a blast from his cannon. Cyborg quickly learned that his attack did absolutely no damage as the statue swung one of his swords down at him, completely unfazed.

The African teen rolled out of the way just as the blade clanged down on the ground next to him. Next, the green hawk swooped down, talons extended, only to be caught in one of the two free hands of the monster. As the rock guardian squeezed cruelly, the hawk changed back into Beast Boys' human form.

Just as the hand squeezed harder, a purplish-black arc of energy sliced through the air and severed the arm that was holding the green teen from the rest of the statue. Kylar flew by and caught his falling teammate and placed him on the ground. He then formed his aura in his right hand and punch through the rock hand that was still clenched around the changelings' body.

"Thanks." Beast Boy said as the brunette helped him off the ground.

"No problem." They both turned around just in time to see the rock statue materialize another arm to replace the one it just lost. However, before it could continue its' attacks, a voice rang out and caught the guardians' attention.

"Yo! Eight-Eyes!" The monster turned around to see a now green-cloaked Raven flying at it, launching a jump kick. "Hai-yah!" The kick slashed across the statue's head and sent it toppling to the ground. "Whoo-hoo! In your faces!" She smirked as she leapt at the foe; now back on its feet, and dodged one sword slash after another without changing the little smirk on her face. Flying through the air, the green-cloaked girl extended the index and middle fingers of her right hand and brought them straight down the length of the rock body. Smoke billowed out to follow the trace. As the surface broke apart along the new cleavage, the two newly formed halves dropped to the ground.

The entire fight left the three boys staring in pure amazement at the new incarnation of their fellow Titan. "Hoo-ah! High Fives! Come on!" Raven cheered as she held out her hands.

Kylar pointed at the girl in complete confusion before pointing behind him, then at the rock monster that lay defeated on the ground. A moment later, he shook his head and shrugged before holding his hands up to return the high fives. "Awesome job, Rae." He congratulated as the girl slapped her hands to his.

Beast Boy stared a bit more, his jaw slack, before shaking his head vigorously, "What is your _deal_?!" He cried out, annoyed at the complete change in their colleagues' attitude, "First you nuke breakfast, then finally laugh at my jokes, then you're all weepy, and now you're a Marine?" He counted off, "Make up your mind. Who are you?"

The green-cloaked girl directed a quizzical look at him as a grinning pink-cloaked mage leapt into view, followed by a glum gray-cloaked girl. "I'm Raven." The three said simultaneously in their respective tones. Completely poleaxed by the sight, Beast Boy fell to the ground, leaving Cyborg and Kylar confused at the situation.

"Happy… timid… brave." The metallic teen said, pointing to each of the respective emotions.

"You forgot dopey. Hehehe." The pink-cloaked Raven laughed as she pointed to the green teen as he stood up.

"They're different sides of her personality." Kylar said, finally figuring out what was happening.

"We're not in Raven's _home_." Cyborg added.

"We're in her head." Beast Boy remarked.

"And I want you _out_." A familiar voice called out in a tone the boys recognized immediately. A blue-cloaked Raven dropped in front of her three duplicates as they faded away, "The mirror you found is for meditation. It's a portal into my MIND-NOT A TOY!" She growled through gritted teeth, directing those last four words at the green teen.

"Heheh… my bad." The changeling chuckled nervously as a big drop of sweat rolled down his face. Nearby, a flock of ravens that had been roosting in a tree flew away in a great commotion of squawking and flapping of wings.

"You have to go-now!" Raven ordered as the four looked towards the birds.

"Hang on, Rae. What's wrong?" Kylar asked as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Last night, something… got loose. Something bad." The mage answered.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Beast Boy interjected as he flailed his arms around, "I've had it with this mystery-girl routine. I want to know exactly what we're talking about here."

As if on cue, an unholy roar sounded through the air. The four looked at a gargantuan black vortex that formed over the horizon just as the raven flew into it. Gradually, this retreated from the top down to expose a super-king-sized humanoid male with red skin, flowing white hair, and four glowing yellow eyes. The giant was clad in a black and gray loincloth, steel wristbands, and a belt similar to the one Raven wore, as well as a jewel on his forehead. The belt was silver, set with black stones, and a matching piece was set at the throat to match her brooch. There were short, curved black stripes on the arms and chest as well.

_**"Hatred shall rule!"**_ The demonic behemoth roared, his voice being the same as the one that overlaid with Raven's when she snared Dr. Light the night before.

"Does _that_ answer your question?" Kylar asked as he and the other three Titans stared up at the red giants' sheer size.

"Let's just say I have issues with my father." Raven stated evenly as they all backed away from the unholy beast. As the giant moved steadily towards them and leaned in with a loud roar, the three male Titans quickly turned around and ran off as the sorceress held her ground. However, a quadruple blast from those glowing yellow eyes struck the ground just in front of her, forcing her to jump clear. The monsters' enormous feet stomped down the path after Cyborg, Kylar, and Beast Boy, who were making a beeline for a portal set into the base of a rock formation. Unfortunately, another beam hit the path in front of them and brought their escape to a very abrupt halt. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven chanted when she landed in front of the boys and faced her father, creating a shield around herself, them, and the door. The demon unleashed another blast from its' eyes in the stone as it raced towards her until it finally came into contact with the barrier.

0-0

As the uneventful day passed, Robin continued sitting on the couch in the common room, flipping through channels as he tried to find something to watch.

"May we now go see if Raven is better?" Starfire asked innocently as she slid up behind the masked Titan.

"She wants to be alone." He replied before flicking the channel again.

0-0

"Get out of my mind! Now!" Raven strained with great effort as she struggled to hold the barrier as it was bombarded with beam after beam.

"And leave you alone with that?" Beast Boy asked as he pointed towards the behemoth.

"Not gonna happen." Cyborg stated.

"It's _my_ problem. I'll deal with it. If I lose, you'll be stuck in here forever." The mage shouted.

"Which is why we're gonna make sure you don't lose." Kylar said with a determined look in his eyes.

Outside the shield, the red giant produced a ball of energy in his hands as he pulled him above his head. Swinging his arms forward, daddy dearest unleashed the mighty burst at his daughter. The attacked seemed to have been enough to finally breach the shield as a second shot blew it apart altogether, kicking up a great cloud of dust around the teens.

"Go!" Raven shouted as she swung one hand behind her in a sudden lash of telekinesis, flinging the three boys towards the portal. Once they were at the mouth of the portal, the defiant mage flew up to the monsters' level and fired a black salvo from her hand, annoying him just enough to make him start trying to swat her down. Her evasive maneuvers made the act a rather tougher prospect than it might have seemed as he tried firing eye beams at the girl as well.

The three fellows watched as their friend tried desperately to protect them. Looking at the exit, then at each other, the boys traded a knowing look before running into the fray.

The free-for-all continued as Raven continued dodging her fathers' attempts to crush her between his palms. She flew behind the giants' head to avoid another strike, but was caught by surprise when he whirled around and scored a direct hit with his eye beams that dropped the poor girl like a rock. As she fell, the giant caught her unconscious body in one broad hand. **"Rage shall consume you."** The beast threatened as he held the girl up in front of her.

"Yo!" The monster turned around and saw Cyborg standing on a nearby mountain ledge, his sonic cannon primed and ready to fire, "Sounds like somebody needs a time-out." He said before firing a blast at the monster. His blast was blocked when the demon raised his forearm, but multiple orbs of purplish-black energy found their way to his exposed chest when he did this. Exploding on impact, the attack caused the crimson behemoth to stumble backwards as he released Raven and toppled over the edge of the asteroid into an empty abyss.

The violet-haired girl fell helplessly towards a granite slab. However, before they could become acquainted, a green hawk dove down and grabbed the unconscious mage by the shoulders with its' talons. Coming too with a barely audible moan, Raven looked up and saw the bird before it set her down safely, leaving her to fall to her knees with a small groan. "You stayed?" The rescued damsel asked when the bird transformed back into Beast Boy and landed next to her, "I thought you didn't like me."

"Thought you didn't like me." Beast Boy returned with a smile as he helped his friend off the ground.

"Yo, I like both of you!" Cyborg called out to the two. They looked over to see him and the brunette standing over by the ledge the monster fell from, "Now get your butts over here!"

A demonic growl sounded throughout Ravens' mindscape as the behemoth rose slowly over the ridge, even larger than when he first appeared. _**"Feel my fury."**_ The monster growled as his eyes glowed with energy and fired a four-pack blast at the ground that Kylar and Cyborg stood on, causing the former to take off into the air and the latter to dive for cover.

Beast Boy transformed into a pterodactyl as he and Raven took to the air to continue the offensive. Cyborg stood up quickly and provided cover fire with his cannon as he bobbed and weaved through the barren landscape to dodge the blazing bursts.

As the giant was distracted with the pesky kids, Kylar flew around his head and wrapped his arms around that mane of white hair and pulled back with all his strength. The monster released a surprised yell as he was dragged off balance and toppled over some of the rocky peaks that filled the mindscape.

0-0

Once again, the two remaining Titans occupied the common area of the Tower while nothing major was happening on TV.

Starfire eased her head up behind the Boy Wonder, "May we now-"

"No!" Robin cut her off before working the remote again. This answer caused the Tamaranean to groan as she dropped behind the couch.

0-0

Back where the action was hot, Cyborg was fleeing from the monsters' fusillade before a green pterodactyl flew overhead and picked him up. Raven passed both of them while Kylar slammed both of his aura filled hands into the ground, creating two large streaks of energy that ran across the ground and kicked up dust in the monsters' face.

The scarlet leviathan waved away the dust to see that the four teens were nowhere to be seen. He looked around a bit before moving down the asteroid.

Behind a small ridge, the four teens peeked over to see the monster walking away from them. "He's too strong. Even with your help, I cannot defeat him." Raven said as they dropped behind the ridge.

"So call for backup!" Cyborg cried as a suggestion, "What about all those other you's?"

"Yeah, the green one kinda kicked butt." Beast Boy added.

"It still wouldn't be enough." Raven replied, "None of my other sides have the kind of power we need."

Kylar placed a hand on the despaired girls' shoulder, "Maybe not alone, but what about together?" He asked, "They're all part of who you are, right? Together I'm sure you can take him down." Raven turned to face the brunette with worry in her eyes. However, that feeling soon changed when she saw the faith he had in his.

Cyborg peered over the edge again, only for a couple eye blasts to send him ducking back behind the rocks. "Go for it! We got your back." He grinned as he transformed his right hand to his sonic cannon and jumped over the ledge.

Beast Boy gave her an encouraging nod and ran after the metallic charger. "You can do it. I know you can." Kylar reassured the mage before following his two friends to help in the diversion.

A small smile crossed her face before she disappeared into a clearing on the asteroid. Closing her eyes to concentrate, a sudden gust of wind stirred the dust at her feet as her duplicated rose from the ground. She opened her eyes to see no fewer than seven other Ravens standing before her, clad in pink, gray, green, yellow, brown, lavender, and finally orange. The yellow girl was wearing glasses, perhaps representing her cerebral aspect, while the orange girl dug something out of her ear and burped, possible the mages' lazy side.

They quickly scattered and formed a large circle around her. All eight rose into the air and hovered several feet above the ground before the seven doubles spun around the Raven in the center. Finally, a brilliant flash of white overtook them, sending them out of view.

Back with the boys, Cyborg had been firing his cannon at will while Beast Boy turned into a pterodactyl again and took to the air. The crimson behemoth countered the diversion with a storm of bird apparitions from his hand that quickly swarmed the metallic Titan and the green dinosaur. The giant smiled evilly down at the two, only for that smile to quickly flip 180 degrees as a few orbs of energy exploded in his face. When the giant regained his bearings, he saw the black-jacketed teen flying around in front of him. With a growl, the monster fired four beams from his eyes at the small pest. Kylar was able to dodge three of them, but the last one struck him in the chest and knocked him out of the sky, landing in a red hand before it squeezed his body.

The brunette grunted as he struggled to free himself from the demons' grip. His eyes began flickering between glowing pure white and having his sapphire irises visible. _**"Release your anger. I can feel how much you have."**_ The giant said menacingly as he tightened his grip.

Kylar released a pained yell as he could feel his lung get crushed by his ribcage. In a desperate attempt to get free, the brunette summoned all his energy around him, engulfing his entire head in purplish-black flames, and forced a blast that emitted from his entire body. The burst was enough to cause the giant to release him as he quickly dispersed the aura around him, except for his arms and legs.

_**"Insolent fool. You cannot hope to defeat me."**_ The monster growled.

"Wasn't trying to." Kylar coughed as he smiled wickedly at the beast. Confused by the young teens words, the red giant turned around and noticed a now white-cloaked Raven standing behind him. She stood as tall as him and was even clad in a white leotard to match her cloak.

The white sorceress hurled a mass of black energy, which formed itself into a band that encircled her father tightly from shoulders to waist. _**"You are going back where you belong!"**_ She said in a very deep and terrible tone.

"_**Never!"**_ The leviathan growled, as he broke free of Ravens' binding spell. When he did, she rose into the air, arms crossed in front of her, and her eyes and mouth started blazing with the same dark force that poured from her hands. The raging demon sent two huge beams from his hands towards her as Raven did the same. The two energies met at a point between them and canceled out, becoming a tug-of-war where the balance point shifted back and forth between the two parties.

On the ground, Beast Boy and Cyborg had their hands full with trying to keep the birds from pecking them to mush, only for them to disappear a moment later as Kylar landed down in front of them.

They looked up to watch the standoff between the white sorceress and her father continue; with the former slowly gaining ground. With one final groaning effort, Raven sent her beam surging into the red monsters' face, creating an incredible flash when it hit. When the flash faded, the monster was nowhere to be seen and in its' place was another copy of the resident mage, only she had red eyes and a dark red cloak. The crimson mage dropped to the ground in front of the white-clad original, only standing about a foot tall. She turned her head to face the victor, revealing two pairs of glowing red eyes, before her body disintegrated into a bolt of energy that crackled into the larger mages' body, throwing her into an unbearable rictus.

One final flash left the remaining teens blinded for a split second before they saw their friend standing on a rock, back in her normal blue cloak and bowed as if she had just taken the beating of a lifetime.

As she straightens herself, wind blew her cloak back to reveal her black outfit underneath. A moment later, she moaned weakly and collapsed backwards, only to land in Kylars' arms. "Don't worry. I won't let you fall." The brunette said warmly as the mage looked up at him, blushing a bit as her hood fell from her head.

Beast Boy and Cyborg ran up as the brunette set the girl to her feet, "All right, Raven!" The metallic Titan cheered.

"I knew you could do it!" The changeling whooped.

"Thank you… friends." Raven said kindly as she rubbed her head.

"So… we really are friends?" Beast Boy asked as he clasped his hands together.

"Mmm-hmm." The girl nodded with a smile.

"And you really think I'm funny?" The greenling asked, wiggling his eyebrows. This question received a disapproving stare from Cyborg as Kylar slapped his own face.

"Don't push it." The mage replied as the smile quickly faded from her face.

0-0

Now nighttime, the day had finally come to an uneventful end as Starfire slowly reached for the door that led to Raven's room. Robin had his fingers wrapped tightly around her arm, trying to pull her back.

"Please! Let us simply-" The auburn-haired girl began, not even looking as though she were straining to reach the door.

"Raven asked us not to disturb her!" The Boy Wonder forced himself to say as he tried with all his might to pull her hand back.

"She could be weeping-"

"I don't want to bother her!"

"But if we merely-" The door opened before she could finish, causing the alien to relax her grip with a gasp and smile. This caused Robin to tumble backwards to the floor. Outside the frame of the doorway, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Kylar, and Raven stood before the remaining two Titans.

"Where have you guys been?" The masked leader asked as he stood up.

"Just getting to know each other." Cyborg replied as he and the other three teens smiled.

"Come friends. We shall prepare a new breakfast feast." Starfire cheered as she lifted her hands above her head.

The four mind dwellers gave her a blank stare. "It's a little late for breakfast, Star." Beast Boy said he scratched the back of his head, "Maybe just some herbal tea."

"Actually, breakfast sounds… nice." Raven admitted with a light blush.

The green chef was caught off guard momentarily by her change of eating habits, but quickly smiled as stars flashed in his eyes. "Breakfast for dinner? Coming up!" He cheered as he took off down the hallway.

"Oh, no! I'm cooking this time!" Cyborg called out after him, "We're having real eggs!"

Robin and Starfire chuckled before walking after them, leaving the brunette and mage by themselves.

"We're not such a bad group." Kylar chuckled as he placed a hand on Ravens' shoulder when he passed by. Raven smiled before stopping the brunettes' progression by pulling him back by his jacket sleeve. This surprised him, but not nearly as much as what followed. The blue-clad ice queen had pulled him in for a hug. "Uh… Rae?"

"Thank you." She said softly as she rested her head in his chest.

The aura manipulator could only smile in defeat as he returned the hug, "No problem." He said, stroking the back of her head.

They released each other just in time for Beast Boy to pop back around the corner, "You guys coming? I got tofu pancakes!" He sang before a cybernetic hand grabbed his head and yanked him out of view.

The two Titans shared a laugh, "C'mon, they're waiting for us." Kylar smiled as he began walking down the hall. Raven followed as she smiled warmly, catching up to the boy as they made their way into the kitchen to enjoy a wonderful breakfast with the rest of their friends.

* * *

**This chapter has been brought to you by _Gazpacho's!_ That's right! **

**Don't miss the great deals this week at _Gazpacho's!_ They got free ranged, 12 legged cave frogs half off and a baker's dozen same price! If you mention the name "Gazpacho."**

**You'll be singing off praises for their two for one sing beans! (With coupon.)**

**Select from any one of their 31 thrice cream flavors and they'll throw in a powdered flart, no charge! A sweet treat for your sweety... Huh? No? Well I don't know where you're relationship stands.**

**Whoa! What's this? Burple Nurples only three dollops each? _That's outrageous!_ You said it, big man.**

**And how's this grab ya, a free Grabbles stick with every Grabbles purchase. You know, for the kids.**

**Gazpacho's! For food you can't find... Anywhere else!**

**Author's Notes:  
I am not liable for any sicknesses one may come down with for the purchases of the food found at Gazpacho's. That being said, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, I know I had fun writing this thing. And just as a reminder, don't forget to leave a review if you want and if you have any questions or suggestions, PM me and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.**

**Until next time, See You Space Cowboys.  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the DC Universe nor do I own anything from Teen Titans. Any other references made belong to their respective owners. Again, I own nothing.**


	9. Switched

**Author's Note:**

**It's another beautiful day in Santa Monica, California as people gather at the beach to feel the sand between their toes... Or at least I'm guessing that's what's going on in Santa Monica, considering I don't live anywhere near California. **

**On a completely different note, I would like to welcome everyone again to another chapter of this Teen Titans fanfiction. Now I know what some of you may be thinking, "DAX, what are you doing? Why are you eating peanut butter with bananas and pickles? That's disgusting." To which I say... yeah you're right, but I'm out of milk and don't eat dry cereal.**

**Wait, you weren't thinking that? Oh... uh... well... never mind then.**

**I want to thank everyone for taking the time to read these updates and whatnot, I do this for you because I like ya a lot... but don't take that too seriously.**

**If you have any questions or suggestions, remember to PM me if you want to, I love hearing your feedback. Also, write a review if you want to, or don't, it's your choice.**

**Without any more of me talking, enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos… Azarath Metrion Zinthos…" Raven chanted in the outer regions of space. Levitating over a lone asteroid: she had found a place of peace and serenity. Here, her meditations could be quite and undisturbed.

"Raven?" A feminine voice called out in the distance. The break in silence caused the mage to get considerably annoyed. "Raven?" The disembodied voice called again. With this call, Raven snapped back to reality as her peaceful center of space broke away, revealing herself to be in the Operations Center of the Tower. Behind the levitating mage, Starfire stood at the entrance of the room. "Please forgive my interruption, but have you seen Robin?" The Tamaranean asked innocently.

"No."

"Oh." The alien turned to leave, but then stopped, "Perhaps you have seen Cyborg? Or Kylar?"

"No." The mage answered again.

Starfire turned to leave again, but then stopped, "Beast Boy?"

"My eyes are _closed_, Starfire, I haven't _seen_ anyone." Raven explained, hoping that her teammate would leave her alone.

"They must be doing the 'hanging out' someplace." Starfire said as she turned to leave the room. Before she left, however, she stopped to speak with the mage again, "Perhaps _we_ should do the hanging out." The girl suggested happily, "We never have before, and conceivably it could be fun. We might journey to the mall of shopping, or perform braiding maneuvers upon each other's hair, or…" Starfire trailed off when she noticed black flames outlining the mages' entire body as she slumped over. "You wish to be alone?" She asked as she backed away.

"How could you tell?" Raven rhetorically asked, her composed voice betrayed the fierce grimace on her face and bugged out eyes. With that, Starfire bowed before she left the room, leaving the sorceress alone to meditate. Composing herself, and finding her center again, the blue-cloaked mage pictured herself in outer space. "Azarath Metrion Zin-"

"MAIL CALL!"

"AAAAAHHHH!" The girl let out a long, shocked yell as she flailed about, causing her to fall out of the air. Hitting the floor with a thud, Raven wound up in a heap in the middle of the room as the four boys entered, the bionic Titan carrying a crate as he walked in.

"Robin! Cyborg! Kylar! Beast Boy! You are back!" The auburn-haired Titan cheered as she flew to the boys, "It was… quiet while you were gone."

"Not _that_ quiet." Raven stated as she stood up and dusted herself off.

Cyborg walked to the kitchen table and placed the crate on it. "Check it out. This was sitting by the front door." Beast Boy said as the other members gathered around the gift. "Fan mail-probably a gift from one of my many admirers." He said as he wiggled his eyebrows, the mage simply rolled her eyes at his display.

"Actually, it doesn't say _who_ it's from." Robin said as he leaned to take a closer look at the wooden box. He was correct in his statement, the only words written on the box were **–To: Teen Titans- -Titans Tower-**.

"What do you think's inside, anyway?" Kylar asked as he scratched the back of his head.

"Well," The metallic teen said as he grabbed the lid of the crate, "one way to find out." He yanked the lid off before he, Robin, Kylar, and Starfire peeked inside. "Whoa!"

"Awesome!"

"Cool!" The Boy Wonder awed as Starfire giggled.

"Honestly, I was kinda hoping for chocolate." Beast Boy remarked as he peeked into the box.

Cyborg reached into the crate and pulled out its contents, "Aww, isn't that cute? Puppet Cy has a light-up eye." He cooed as he held up a white, gray, and blue miniature puppet version of himself, pressing a panel on the chest of the marionette that caused its left eye to light up.

"Yeah. They got all the details just right." Robin smiled as he pulled a grappling hook from his puppet's belt buckle.

"Speak for yourself. I'm _way_ better looking than this!" Beast Boy complained as he held up his puppet. "And taller."

"Do I really look this angry?" Kylar asked as he held up his puppet. It had all the same features as he did; messy brown hair, jeans, black sneakers, gray undershirt, black jacket with its' brown-fluff trimmed hood over its' head and on the end of its sleeves, and slanted eyebrows that gave it an angry look. His male comrades gave him a nod in response.

"Someone certainly has a lot of time on their hands." Raven commented, pulling the hood on her puppet back to find that her hairline had also been recreated.

"I have never seen such a whimsical device." Starfire giggled as she looked her own gift over and worked it around a bit. "Hello, Starfire!" The girl said in a deep tone as she made the marionette bow and extend its' hand, "Hello, tiny wooden replica of Starfire!" She said in her normal tone as she took the small figurines' hand in her own.

Robin was playing around with his miniature self, making it perform various kung-fu moves while Beast Boy moved his puppet next to the Boy Wonders'. "Dude!" The green teen cheered as he made the puppet deliver a kick to the masked puppets' rear, "My puppet is totally kicking your puppet's butt!"

"Not for long." The spiky-haired leader smirked. Kicking into kung-fu mode, he made his marionette strike his opponent with a chop that sent it crashing into the wooden Cyborg.

"You want a piece of me, little man?" The robotic puppet asked as it shook its' fist.

The Beast Boy and Robin puppets kept taking swipes at each other as their operators provided good-natured fighting banter. Cyborg soon got into the act as well, making his replica swing into the fight and hit the backside of the green puppet.

"I'll show you who's king of puppet fighting!" Kylar taunted as he made his puppet jump into the vaudeville act. The four boys continued their fun while Raven just shot them all disapproving looks.

"Boys." She sighed as Starfire approached her.

"Shall my tiny replica do battle with your tiny replica?" The alien asked happily as she moved her own puppet in a fighting manner.

"Knock yourself out." The mage replied flatly as she tossed her marionette to the Tamaranean. Starfire could only give a puzzled stare as she watched her blue-cloaked friend leave the room.

0-0

Later that night, the Titans decided to turn in after a rather uneventful day, crime-wise, and enjoy the ever-pleasant land of dreams. However, not everyone in the building was sleeping. Back on the kitchen table where the wooden crate rested, a hand rose from inside, accompanied by a few wisps of straw and the sound of splintering wood. Next, the other hand emerged and both braced against the crate's edge as a shadowed figure, child-like in appearance with a crown on its' head, hoisted itself out. After escaping from its wooden prison, the small figure made its' way through the Tower.

0-0

Starfire was sleeping soundly in her room. While she slept the wrong way on top of her bedclothes-feet on the pillow, head hanging off the opposite edge, and still wearing her normal clothes-she didn't seemed to be fazed at all while she dreamt. Her puppet was lying nearby on a round stool.

As the defenseless girl snoozed, the small figure that rose from the crate appeared next to her. It quickly dropped out of sight and moved out of the room when the Tamaranean woke up. "Who is there?" She gasped in fright as the door to her room slid close.

0-0

"Ladies… please…" Beast Boy spoke softly as he slept on the top bunk in his room, the bottom one of which was festooned with unmade sheets and dirty clothes… along with the rest of his room. The only source of light in the room was a TV screen that flashed the words _**Game Over**_. "…One at a time. You'll all get to take your picture with me." He pulled a sock close to him and kissed it before snoring.

At the foot of the bunk, a shadowed figure made its way to the sleeping shape-shifter and held out a wooden crosspiece, much like one attached to the strings of a puppet. On it, a green spot began to glow on one of the six arms and a green light briefly surrounded the boy. Beast Boy shuddered for a moment before relaxing while a ghostly copy of the teen emerged from his body and entered the puppet next to him.

0-0

Inside the hallway, Starfire slowly made her way through as she tried to follow the noise that had woken her up moments before. "Hello? Hello?" She called out softly as she turned the corner, just missing the shadow of the small figure as it passed the hallway on the far end. "Is someone there?" She asked again as she continued her search.

0-0

Kylar was snoring soundly while he lied on his bed with his hands interlocked behind his head. The sound of a tune chimed through the room as his wooden music box lied open next to him. The marionette he had received from the box was sitting on the bookshelf that was against the wall over his bed. The door opened and in crept the small shadow before it made its' way next to the brunette and held out the same crosspiece. As a purple spot on the handle began to glow, a light of the same color surrounded the black-jacketed teen. Releasing a pained grunt before relaxing, a purple spirit of the Titan emerged from his body, much like with Beast Boy, and entered the wooden copy above him.

0-0

Inside Cyborg's room, the bionic was lying on the incline table in the middle of his room while one big hand gripped his plaything to his chest. The intruder popped next to him and held out the crosspiece, yet again. With a blue-white spot appearing on one of the arms, the big man was enveloped in the same color light. He jerked awake with a sharp gasp, but his head rolled to one side as a specter of himself passed from his body to the puppet, causing the little red eye to light up.

0-0

Finally in Robin's room, his supine form was already swathed in red light. Before dropping to the ground, his ethereal form escaped its physical shell and passed to the puppet sitting atop some nearby bookshelves.

0-0

In the hallway again, Starfire looked around the corner after hearing a creepy chuckle echo in the darkness. "Huh?" Puzzled by the noise, she slowly made her approach, "If this is a joke, it is not-" The sound of a door sliding open caught her attention as she turned to face it, coming face to face with Raven. Both screamed in sheer terror and surprise as their hair stood on end, the short violet strands forming the shape of the bird for which their wearer was named. "Raven!" The auburn-haired teen cheered when she calmed down, "You have also heard the strange noises?"

"The strange noises of you talking outside my door?" The mage quipped after composing herself, "Hard to miss."

"Oh. Forgive me," Starfire apologized, blushing deeply from the embarrassment. "I thought there was someone-" Her sentence was cut off as a sonic blast suddenly shot between them. Turning towards its source, the two girls saw Robin, Cyborg, Kylar, and Beast Boy rushing down the hall towards their position. The masked teen leapt for a kick as the changeling morphed into a velociraptor and charged ahead. The former nearly took Starfire's head off with the sole of his boot while the latter tried to get at Raven, but was stopped when she created an energy barrier to slow him down a bit.

"Beast Boy, it's me! Don't make me hurt you!" The mage warned as she continued holding up barriers to stop his snapping jaws. Unfortunately, he finally broke through and snapped at her.

As the alien Titan flew over Robin's head, he pulled out three discs from his belt and hurled them at the girl. She was able to shoot down two of the projectiles with her starbolts, but was caught by the explosion of the third, causing her to fall out of the air and land in Cyborgs' arms.

The green dinosaur continued its advance against Raven. A swing of the tail knocked her down the hall and into Kylars' arms, causing him to wrap them tightly around the girls' abdomen, pinning her own arms to her sides. "Let me go!" She cried as Robin and Beast Boy approached, the latter returning to human form.

"Friends! Why do you attack us?" Starfire asked as she struggled against the robotic Titans' titanium grip. Upon further inspection, the girls noticed that their male teammates eyes glowed a ghastly light blue.

"Oh, they're not _your_ friends anymore." A menacing voice said from the shadows. The two girls looked in front of them to see a small wooden puppet step into the light, revealing its entire form; the head was quite large, with slick black hair parted in the middle and a hinged mouth just like the marionettes. Its' attire consisted of black boots, gray pants, a crown adorned on its head, a red jacket with gold epaulettes and a sash with badges across its chest. "They are _my_ puppets. _These_ are your friends." He said as he pulled the four puppet replicas of the male Titans.

"Star…fire!" The Robin puppet spoke, sounding a bit muffled and very strained.

"Raven…" The Cyborg puppet cried in the same tone.

"Please!" The Kylar puppet pleaded.

"Help!" The Beast Boy puppet finished.

"Release them!" Raven demanded while Starfire gasped at the sight.

"Sorry, but you're not in charge here." The evil puppet taunted as he swung the boys marionettes behind his back. "You don't command me. _I_ command _you_!" The royal marionette held up a crosspiece with his right hand, which now showed lights on all six of its arms-red, green, white, purple, blue, and yellow. The two soulless shorter Titans held up the Raven and Starfire marionettes while each girl released a groan as they wreathed in their own color light, blue for the mage and yellow for the Tamaranean. "And with the Puppet King pulling the strings, the Teen Titans will command the entire city."

"Azarath… Metrion… Zinthos…" Raven chanted weakly before passing out as her and Starfires' souls were ejected from their bodies. Once their spirits left, a black starburst emerged from the sorceress' forehead and flared over the entire hall, knocking everyone down, and sending the crosspiece of the, now known, Puppet King skidding across the floor.

"My control!" The creepy wooden object cried as the blue and yellow souls shot out of the device. As their souls floated free from the wooden receptacles, both flashed into the bodies of the closest prone girl. By the time the Puppet King had his control device back in his hand, both girls were able to stand up and sprint off down the hall. "After them!" The mastermind ordered as the two girls escaped, the boys half-standing, half-floating to their feet, ready to pursue.

0-0

In a darkened section of the basement, a grate in the ceiling swung open as Raven and Starfire dropped down and shut it silently as their pursuers ran overhead and passed them.

"The boys!" Starfire cried softly, "Raven! What are we going to-" She began before Starfire's arm reached over and switched on a hanging light bulb. When the light shined, the two girls got a good eyeful of each other in their new situation. Their faces showed the kind of expression one of them would normally have if they were still in their own body.

"Starfire?" Raven asked through the orange-skinned aliens' body, giving her body a bewildered look.

"Raven?" Starfire asked through the gray-skinned girls' body, "_*Gasp* _You are me! _*GASP* _And I am you!" She cried as black energy crackled from her forehead and shattered the light bulb, putting them into near-total darkness.

0-0

After having escaped the Tower, the body swapped girls found their way through the underground sewers below a run down section of Jump City. In an attempt to find the two runaways, the Puppet King sent the only two flyers he had at his disposal to quickly search the city for them. Beast Boy, in the form of a hawk, and Kylar flew above the buildings as they searched. When they passed over one specific manhole, the entire street shook briefly as its cover blew sky-high, thanks to some out-of-control telekinesis. The steel circle slammed back to the pavement, rattling loudly as it settled until Starfire, as Raven, reached up and pushed it aside before climbing out.

"Oh, Raven!" The Tamaranean cried through the gloomy sorceress' body, "This is awful! Terribly, horribly awful!" Despair was absolutely filling her voice as the mage climbed out of the hole, in the alien girls body.

**(A/N: In an attempt to make things less complicated, I'm going to add hyphens to the girls' names to indicate that they are in different bodies. So –Raven- will be when she is in Starfires' body, and –Starfire- will be when she is in Ravens'. Any other instances of describing the girls will be as though they are still switched.)**

"Tell me about it." –Raven- said through Starfires' body as she headed down the sidewalk, pulling her body along behind her.

"Very well." –Starfire- said, catching up to her body. "Robin, Cyborg, Kylar, and Beast Boy have been trapped inside tiny wooden bodies, while a nasty creature called the Puppet King has taken control of their real bodies," The girl explained with increasing panic in her voice, "which he is using to hunt us down, and you and I are in the wrong bodies and-"

"Starfire!" –Raven- called out as she placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping the panicking girl from speaking. "You have to calm down. My powers are driven by emotion. The more you feel, the more energy you unleash." The gloomy alien explained. –Starfire- looked back and saw a couple of parking meters bent over, newspaper boxes having spewed their contents all over the street, and a mailbox melted next to them, all being the result of the trapped Tamaranean panicking.

"But what if they find us? What if our friends are doomed?" The mage asked worriedly, "What if I am stuck _looking_ like this forever?"

"We'll fix it." The orange-skinned alien replied, "I don't know how, but we _will_ rescue the boys and we _will_ get our bodies back." She paused for a brief moment, "What's wrong with the way I look?"

"Nothing!" –Starfire- answered hastily as she brought her hands up, causing a pedestrian crossing signal above their heads to explode. "I will try to calm down." She exhaled deeply as she closed her eyes. "Peace… quiet… tranquil-" A car parked next to them launched straight up and crashed back to the ground… upside down… causing the alarm to sound.

"We are _so_ doomed." –Raven- stated flatly. The car alarm seemed to have attracted unwanted attention as the green hawk that was searching for the girls cried from above.

"Beast Boy!" –Starfire- cried as she pointed to the sky. Overhead, the soulless bird went into a sharp descent with talons extended as it dove straight towards the girls.

"You mean _zombie_ Beast Boy." –Raven- corrected as she pulled the mage toward an alley, "Run!" Both girls made a break for it to escape their pursuer as they turned into the dark pathway. "Fly! Fly!" The orange-skinned girl ordered as she started jumping and flapping her arms, trying to get clear of the ground.

Making their way further into the shadows, the girls slowed down as they saw that the green hawk no longer chased them. "We cannot fight them again." –Starfire- said, "I do not wish to, and in our present condition we would surely be defeated."

"Okay. How do you fly this thing?" The Tamaranean said gesturing at herself.

"You must _feel_ flight." The mage responded.

"What?" –Raven- asked flatly.

"When you feel the unbridled joy of flight, you will fly." –Starfire- explained with a smile. This earned her an uneasy stare from the other girl.

"Unbridled joy? Not really my thing." The orange alien shrugged as they stopped walking.

"Look!" The blue-cloaked girl gasped as she pointed her hand down the alleyway. Her hand movement created a black spark that threw the alien off her feet and to the ground.

Picking herself off the ground, -Raven- glanced down the alley and saw a green tiger rushing towards them. "What do I have to feel to use starbolts?" The auburn-haired alien asked as she stood up.

"Righteous fury." –Starfire- replied, making an angered face to show example.

The orange Titan shot her a look of disbelief, "Your alien strength?"

"Boundless confidence." The other girl replied with a wide grin as she puffed out her chest.

"Nevermind." –Raven- returned as she ran back the way they came, yanking –Starfire- along with her. As Beast Boy pursued, the two girls took a different turn and wound up in a darker stretch of the alley. When they ran through, something swooped down in front of them, causing the girls to gasp; the mysterious object straightened and exposed Robin's silhouette, eyes still glowing blue in the darkness. They backed up a few steps only to find the green jungle cat blocking their retreat. The animal moved in closer and roared while the soulless Boy Wonder brought out his fighting staff and leapt in for an attack. Beast boy pounced as well.

The girls stood pat and sidestepped at the last moment, causing the two zombie Titans to collide in midair and fall to the ground. Breathing a sigh of relief, -Raven- and –Starfire- looked up and saw Kylars' body floating in the air. The swapped girls quickly took off down the alley as the brunette gave chase.

The mage and Tamaranean were able to evade the pursuing zombie as they ducked into yet another side passage in the alley, flattening themselves against the wall to stay out of sight while Kylar flew past the corner without a second thought. –Raven- gave a relieved smile, but immediately changed it to a frown when two very large and familiar bionic hands smashed through the bricks behind them. The surprise caused –Starfire- to create an inadvertent burst of telekinesis that propelled her Tamaranean body upward.

"Wait for me, please!" The blue-clad girl cried as she ran off before the bulky robotic Titan knocked down the wall, drooling a little bit before looking after them.

As the girls rounded a corner, they found themselves in a dead end. Turning around, -Raven- and –Starfire- saw the hulking silhouette of Cyborg approaching them while Robin, Beast Boy, and Kylar soon jumped in and joined him.

"If I can't fly, you have to levitate." The orange-skinned girl stated, "You know those words I always-"

"Yes!" The mage replied before sucking in a huge breath.

"Wait! You have to focus!" –Raven- shouted, causing –Starfire- to exhale deeply.

Soon the shadows of the four boys were upon them, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" The mage chanted in a hasty panic. For a moment, nothing happened. But that changed when she shot up like a rocket, dragging the alien Titan by the hand. Both girls screamed as they gained too much altitude and shot off in a direction away from the four zombified Titans, who only stared as they flew away.

Operating on a ragged edge of control, -Starfire- towed –Raven- above roof level and soared over Jump City. "I wish to stop! Please tell me the way to stop!" The blue-cloaked girl pleaded.

"Look at the ground and imagine-" The Tamaranean began explaining, but the flying mage turned her gaze downward before she could finish, "Wait!" Unfortunately for the girl, the severely inexperienced pilot dropped like a rock, causing both to slam down into a huge pile of trash between two buildings. After a moment, they poked their heads from the mound.

"Ugh! I smell like the breath of a Snervian blork worm." –Starfire- groaned as she removed a can from her head. She looked over and saw –Raven- feverishly shoveling waste toward the street. "Raven, what are you-"

"Shhh!" The working girl shushed the other girl by clapping a hand over her mouth. Leaning back to hide herself behind the berm she made, -Raven- threw a trash bag at Starfire that landed on her head and drove her out of sight.

Robin and Cyborg walked through the alley and looked around a bit just as the two girls hid from view. Not seeing anything worth attention, they continued on their patrols.

Behind the trash pile, -Starfire- created a small amount of black energy that surrounded her left hand. –Raven- gave her a hard look as the other girl moaned sadly at having lost control again. "Peace, quiet, tranquility… peace, quiet, tranquility." The mage repeated to herself in an effort to calm down.

"It's all right. They're going." The orange-skinned girl reassured her friend as she peered through a small opening in the wall of junk. As she watched the departing pair, a large green rat popped into her view, causing the mage to gasp in fright before being silenced by the alien teens' hand on her mouth. As though their luck couldn't get any worse, Kylar approached the pile of junk as well.

Both girls began sweating nervously as the green rat sniffed around the trash just as the brunette reached down to remove a bag of garbage. "Enough!" The girls heard the voice belonging to the Puppet King shout. The order caused Kylars' body to freeze in position, just before grabbing a bag, while the green rat quickly scuttled up the brunettes' arm and sat on his shoulder. The two soon walked away and joined the small puppet at the mouth of the alley while Robin and Cyborg did the same. "We will catch the other two after the ceremony is complete."

"Ceremony?" The Robin puppet asked as the Puppet King held out the four male marionettes.

"What ceremony?" The Cyborg puppet added.

"Just a little spell that will destroy you four and make your bodies mine forever." The wooden villain chillingly explained. "Come, my puppets." He beckoned for the four boys to follow him, whom they obeyed, Beast Boy still as a rat on Kylars' shoulder.

After they left, a few trash bags from the dump heap rolled away as the two girls stepped out. "How can you stand having this much hair?" –Raven- asked as she tried getting her auburn hair untangled.

"Quickly, Raven! Our friends are in danger!" –Starfire- said, grabbing the other girls' hand and dragging her down the alley, "We must follow and-"

"And what?" The gloomy alien asked in a defeated tone, "Save them with my unusable powers while your unbridled emotions blow us to bits? Nice flying, by the way." She pulled her hand away from the mages' grip.

This angered the mage as black aura surrounded her, "At least I am able to fly." The out of body plucky girl growled, "On my planet, even a newborn can unleash the joy of flight. But you are too busy being grumpy and rude to feel anything at all!"

"Maybe you haven't noticed, but my emotions are dangerous. I can't afford to feel _anything_." –Raven- returned as she turned her back on her body, "You may have my body, but you know nothing about me."

The aura around –Starfire- dissipated at the realization of her teammates' words. "Perhaps you are right." She admitted, causing the other girl to turn around, "And if you and I are to overcome this ordeal, we must know everything about each other. So… begin sharing."

Hearing the sincerity in her tone, -Raven- realized she was right, "All right." She returned with a smile as the two of them took a seat on the ground. "I was born in a place called Azarath…"

0-0

Dawn neared and the hour of the boys losing their souls was upon the girls. After explaining to each other their own upbringings and their respective powers, the girls made their way to a run-down area in Jump City where they found themselves hunkered behind a large stone fountain in the courtyard of a decrepit old theater named the _Bijou_. Examining the building, -Raven- and –Starfire- saw a green Doberman pinscher pacing at the bottom of the steps that led up to the entrance while they noticed a certain aura manipulator floating around the rooftops.

"Looks like security's tight tonight." The body-swapped Goth said as Kylars' body flew away from the building, leaving the roof unguarded, "Let's try the roof."

"Agreed." –Starfire- said as she took –Ravens'- hand, "Now, do just as I instructed. Close your eyes and think of something joyful." The comment caused the orange-skinned teen to roll her eyes and sigh wearily. "You might choose flowers, or kittens, or the laughter of children, or- *gasp*" She gasped happily as both floated clear off the ground. Slowly but surely, they ascended to the roof and were not spotted by either guardsman as they touched down next to a locked trapdoor on the top of the building. "Very, very good!" The mage cheered, "What was your joyful thought?"

"You don't want to know." –Raven- replied with a shrug as she looked away from her partner.

"Oh, but I do." The cloaked girl insisted, "Please tell me. What did you imagine?"

"You not talking." The alien Titan admitted hesitantly, causing the other girls' eyes to bug out of her head.

"Oh. Well…" –Starfire- looked down sadly, "I am glad I was able to help."

-Raven- glanced at her teammate before looking down at the lock on the trapdoor. "Your turn." She said as she looked at the mage again, "Find your center. Focus your energy on the lock."

With a nod, the blue-clad mage closed her eyes. A moment later, she opened them again, showing them to be glowing white like when the normal sorceress uses her own powers. Encasing her hands in the black aura, she focuses the magic on the lock. "Azarath… Metrion… Zinthos." –Starfire- chanted as the lock snapped apart, followed by a giggle at her success.

"Nice work." The orange-skinned alien said, impressed at her friends' control in power.

"Success!" The mage whooped as she jumped into the air. The outburst caused her abilities to flare up, causing the trapdoor to fly open and send echoes throughout the theater.

"Nice work." –Raven- groaned sarcastically as –Starfire- shrieked in terror at what she just did.

0-0

Inside the run-down building, the Puppet King stood before a large bowl filled with blue-white flames. Candles were set up in a circular formation around him and the bowl while a scenery flat was placed behind the ceramic with the boys' puppets hanging over the top edge of it. The echo of the trapdoor drew his attention before he could spill a test tube filled with powder into the fire.

"Search and destroy." The regal marionette ordered, gesturing to Robin and Cyborgs' bodies behind him, "I do not want an audience." The two soulless teens obeyed and left their masters' presence. "Well, Titans…" He said, turning his attention back to the four puppets as he poured the contents of the tube into the fire, "…time for your grand finale."

Above the ceremony, -Raven- and –Starfire- had made their way onto a catwalk and watched in horror as the Puppet King grabbed the four puppets. "No," The orange alien gasped in shock.

"It's going to be a real showstopper." The evil puppet said as he held the four puppets over the rising flames by their strings.

"Stop!"

"Don't!"

"Please!"

"Help!" The four boys cried in protest, only for their struggles to fail since they couldn't move their bodies at all.

"Don't worry." The Puppet King said, "I'll take good care of your bodies. After all, they'll be mine forever." With that, the voodoo puppet released the strings in his hand, dropping the puppets toward the flaming oblivion he had prepared for them.

Before the powerless boys landed in the bowl, an orb of black magic surrounded the four of them and lifted them into the air. When the puppets reached the overhead catwalk, they saw Raven and Starfire in front of them.

"My friends! You are unharmed!" The mage laughed as she swept the four wooden figures into a crushing hug.

"Starfire?" The Robin puppet asked as he tried processing what he heard.

"It's a long story." The orange alien responded.

Below the catwalk, the angered Puppet King gestured with his crosspiece; in response, his four victims regrouped with him, Beast Boy no longer in the form of a dog. "Go, my puppets! Capture them!" He ordered. Beast Boy transformed into a vampire bat as he and Kylar flew up towards the two girls. Robin and Cyborg clambered up the scaffolding in an attempt to capture their targets.

"Move!" –Raven- yelled as she yanked –Starfire-, who still reveled in her rescue of the puppets, down the catwalk. They made their way across the planks, but were stopped short when the changeling and brunette cut in front of them. Robin vaulted up and landed in a crouch behind them while Cyborg leapt onto the railing and fired his sonic cannon. The blast sent both girls and the puppets flying every which way, with the four puppets landing onto the stage in a heap.

"Dude, get your butt outta my face!" The Beast Boy Puppet cried.

"Can't move. Deal with it." The Robin Puppet returned.

Elsewhere, the girls were doing a little short-range skydiving of their own. –Starfire- tried grabbing a curtain cord to stop herself, while –Raven- did her best to start flying.

As a human again, Beast Boy hopped onto the railing and turned into a gorilla as he and Robin jumped over the edge of the catwalk. Their two targets, which finally managed to control their powers of flight, scattered an instant before the two zombies could tackle them.

-Starfire- made her way through the jumble of rigging while being chased by the Boy Wonder before touching down on the catwalk. "Robin, I do not wish to fight you." The mage pleaded as she dodged a kick from her zombie leader. Her pleas fell on deaf ears as the masked teen grabbed her by the cloak and threw the girl toward the railing. He moved a few steps toward the defeated girl, ready to finish the job. The swapped Tamaranean noticed one of his feet was placed within a loop of rope that lied on the boards. "But I will if I must!" She yelled as she levitated a nearby sandbag off the railing. The connecting rope was the same one that looped around her opponents' foot and quickly dragged him up through the support framework. –Starfire- gave a quick squeal in success before standing up and running down the catwalk before a green gorilla landed where she was seated.

On the other side of the fight, -Raven- was trying her best to stay ahead of Cyborg and Kylar as they made their way through the scaffolding and cables around the catwalk. She soon touched down and back up to a wall as her two opponents approached her.

"Okay, Raven. Starbolts. Just let go of your emotions, feel the righteous fury, and…" The body-swapped sorceress' pep talk was abruptly halted when the bionic Titan aimed a punch at her and knocked a few dozen bricks from the wall. She dodged to the right, only for Kylar to follow up in an attempt to seize her. She leapt away from the two attackers, but an aura powered double axe handle from the brunette caused the catwalk to collapse beneath her feet when he slammed his hands down.

Falling toward the stage, -Raven- managed to control her flying and flew back up towards the brunette, delivering a walloping uppercut that dumped him on the ground at Cyborgs' feet. The big man quickly jumped onto the railing, grabbed a rope and swung across at her. She managed to get airborne before the robotic zombies' enormous metal boots crashed through both sides of the catwalk. Flying high, the orange-skinned Titan angled herself for a diving kick that connected with the metallic teens chest just as he swung underneath her.

The force of the blow caused the robotic zombie to lose his grip and plummet towards the stage, where the four puppets of the boys laid.

"*_Gasp*_ Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" The blue clad mage quickly chanted as she watched the body of her friend fall past her. The spell caught Cyborgs' hulking frame just before crushing the puppet vessels to toothpicks. –Starfire- smiled as she directed the body away from the pile. However, she looked up just in time to dodge a falling sandbag and saw a snarling Robin diving toward her. An instant after he landed on the catwalk, however, Cyborgs' body sailed through the air and plowed into the spiky-haired Titan, knocking both of them away.

Watching the body-swapped Tamaranean hold her own with unfamiliar powers, -Raven- smiled as she stood on a higher walk before a loud growl drew a shocked gasp. Looking up, she saw the green gorilla from before leap down to her level in a bid to crush her, only to miss when she ran down the catwalk. However, the tremor from his landing was enough to throw her off her feet.

Catching herself on her hands and knees, -Raven- looked over and saw the green animal approaching. "Righteous fury, righteous fury, concentrate…" She told herself as she stood up and held one hand straight out. A green spark flickered from the extended hand, but a swipe from the zombie gorilla ended her attempts. The orange alien flew off, only to have one of her ankles caught by her opponent and get hurled back to the catwalk. He raised his clasped hands to smash her apart, but missed when a last second roll to the side saved his targets life. Fetching up against the railing, -Raven- looked down at the sound of a scream from –Starfire- as she dodged oncoming attacks from the soulless Boy Wonder.

"Raven, help!" The mage cried as she continued dodging a combination of Robin and Cyborgs' punches. Unfortunately, the body-swapped mage could do nothing to help as the gorilla planted one of his huge hands on her head and lifted her off the ground.

She shook loose and drove the sole of her boot in his face before leaping back to the perch on the scaffolding. "Starfire!" –Raven- called out. The blue-cloaked girl looked up towards her, distracting her from Kylars' floating form as he prepared an aura sphere in his hands, ready to attack the girl. Pushing off from the framework, the auburn-haired girl dove as fast as she could and tackled the brunette in midair, driving him away from the catwalk and catching the edge of his hood in one hand to leave him hanging as his aura dissipated.

"Not me! Them!" –Starfire- shouted as she pointed down towards the stage. Looking down, -Raven- followed her gaze and her face assumed the same shock that set off her counterpart's panic. On the stage, the Puppet King was running toward the flaming vessel, carrying the four boys' replicas.

"The Puppet King is in command!" Said wooden villain cheered as he held the marionettes over the fire.

At the sight of this, the orange aliens' free hand began glowing a bright green, "NO!" She shouted as she hurled a full-strength starbolt at the villain that exploded with the force of a small bomb upon impact.

The puppets and their maker were flung across the stage, knocking the regal marionettes' crosspiece high above the scene. It bounced off a sandbag and dropped neatly toward the blue-white fire, flaring up brilliantly when the wood fell in. "Uh! My control!" The blaze shaped itself into an approximate likeness of his face, causing the Puppet King to twitch and jitter in his prone position. "NOOOOOOO!" The mastermind cried as light poured from his eyes and mouth. The influence lifted him off his feet, and the four puppets trembled as the souls trapped within flew freely, returning to their respective bodies. The same thing happened to Starfire and Raven as their spirits poured out of the bodies they currently inhabited before returning to their proper homes.

Once every soul was back where it belonged, the now returned Tamaranean landed on the ground and set the black-jacketed teen down as the blue sorceress joined them. "I am me!" Starfire cheered as she walked over to Raven, "And you are you!"

"And we're us!" Cyborg exclaimed as he, Beast Boy, and Robin emerged from the wings, while Kylar walked over to join them, all having completely recovered from the madman's influence.

"Thanks to you two." The Boy Wonder said graciously.

"I knew you wouldn't let us down." The brunette cheered.

"You go, girls!" The changeling whooped as he raised one arm into the air.

"Raven, we have done it!" The Tamaranean gasped happily as she pulled her female counterpart into a wildly enthusiastic hug.

"You're hugging me…" The mage groaned as she offered resistance.

"NOOOOOOO!" The six Titans heard an agonized scream come from the stage. They all looked over and saw the Puppet King sprawled out and trying to crawl forward as light still poured from his eyes and mouth. "The magic! Without it, I'm just a…" He trailed off as the luminosity faded, leaving the slack-jawed, googly-eyed figurine in a heap on the ground.

Kylar walked over and picked the lifeless doll off the ground. Once he brought it to eye level, a wicked grin crept across his face.

0-0

Finally, things had returned to normal. After a very, _very_ eventful early morning, and much needed rest, Raven floated near the windows in the Operations Center as she meditated.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos… Azarath Metrion Zinthos…" The gray-skinned teen chanted.

"Raven, forgive my interruption, but…" Starfire began as she stood behind the meditating mage.

"I haven't seen Robin, Cyborg, Kylar, _or_ Beast Boy." She interrupted, opening her right eye as she answered the question she thought her colleague would ask.

"Truthfully, I am wishing to join you in meditation." The Tamaranean hesitated as she rubbed her left arm.

This caught the sorceress off guard, "Really?" Raven asked as she turned to the auburn-haired Titan, "All right." Starfire flew over and assumed the same meditating pose her Gothic friend was in, as well as floating at the same height above the ground. "Find your center." The sorceress said as she faced the window and closed her eyes, Starfire did the same. "Focus your energies, and…"

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos…" Both girls began chanting, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos…"

"Starfire?" Raven asked as she broke off from the mantra, opening one eye to look at her friend.

"Yes?" The alien responded, also opening an eye to see the girl.

"After this… would you like to go to the mall?" The cloaked girl asked hesitantly, as though the words themselves made her cringe at the idea.

"Mmm-hmm." The cheery Titan nodded before both of them closed their eyes again.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos… Azarath Metrion Zinthos…"

0-0

Far from the Tower, past the city, in fact, even past the mountains, Kylar stood in the barren desert that occupied the lands outside of Jump. On his back was the same single-strapped brown backpack he wore when he first arrived in Jump. At his feet, he had a canister of gasoline and some pieces of wood. In front of him was a pile of wood and leaves that were surrounded by rocks so as to prevent the spread of a fire… even though he was in the middle of a desert.

He lifted the canister and poured some of its' contents onto the pile in front of him. After placing it back on the ground, he removed his backpack and searched inside it before pulling out what he wanted: the Puppet King. He held the lifeless figurine in front of him, "Tell me something, do you believe in karma?" He asked the doll. Its' head only tilted to the side as its' mouth hung open, "Neither do I." The brunette added as he dropped the puppet into the pile of flammables. After putting his backpack over his shoulder, Kylar pulled out a box of matches from his pocket, pulled one out, and lit it. "Where ever your soul went, I hope it found peace." He said coolly before flicking the lit match toward the pile.

Once it touched, the gasoline ignited into a brilliant blaze, consuming the wood and leaves quickly as the wooden puppet crackled as it caught on fire. As the brunette stared at the blazing inferno, the sound of screaming filled his mind as the rising flames reflected in his sapphire eyes. They weren't his screams… no… not his.

It wasn't until he heard the chiming of a tune that he snapped back to reality. Immediately recognizing the sound, Kylar turned around and saw a figure covered by a long, white, zip-up cloak with a hood that covered its' face standing a few feet from him. The figure was around the same body type and height as the brunette and also wore black gloves and boots while the cloak had gray trim on the shoulders, around the ribcage, and down the middle of the hood that lead to the back. In the figures' right hand was a wooden music box. "Lovely tune, isn't it?" The figure asked, its' voice revealing it to be male.

Confused, Kylar quickly patted his pockets to try and find his own music box. When he couldn't, he realized that it was _his_ musical cube that the white-hooded figure was holding. "How did you-"

"Ah-ta-ta!" The figure held up a finger to shush the black-jacketed teen, "I love this song." He began moving his hand in a rhythmic fashion that followed the chiming, "But with you, I will go on ships over seas that I now know." He sang.

"No, they don't exist anymore." Kylar finished as the tune ended. With a sigh, the mysterious figure closed the box as the tune ended. "Who are you?"

"Well now, there's no fun if I just _tell_ you that, is there?" The white-hooded male said as he tossed the music box back to its' owner, who caught it in his left palm.

"What do you want?" The brunette asked in a threatening tone as he placed the box back in his jacket pocket while purplish-black energy emitted from his shoulders.

The cloaked figure laughed at his tone, "I didn't come to fight, if that's what you're asking." He replied, "Although are you sure you should be using your powers, even after what you've been through?"

Kylar was surprised at the mysterious persons' words, but he didn't let it show on his face. Instead, the aura emitting from his body dissipated as he continued eyeing the figure in front of him.

"Don't worry, everything will be explained in due time." The mysterious stranger chuckled as he approached the brunette. When he was within reaching distance, he placed a hand on the Titans' shoulder, "But for now, it's time to say goodbye." Kylar felt a powerful energy flow through his body at the figures' touch. Releasing his grip, the white-hooded male walked past the brunette and the fire, "Just make sure you don't die before we have another one of these chats." He said calmly as he waved without looking behind him.

"Hey wait!" Kylar quickly yelled as he turned around. But when he faced the direction the figure left, he was nowhere to be seen, as though he had disappeared into thin air. Nothing but silence accompanied the brunette before he heard the sound of wood cracking. Looking down, he noticed the fire was dying. The Titan crouched next to the pile of wood, "Great," the black-jacketed teen sighed as he tossed some pieces of wood into the fire, "even _more_ problems to worry about."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Who was that mysterious figure that spoke to the brown-haired Titan? What were those screams he heard in his head? How will Beast Boy ever find a girlfriend? Tune in next time for another exciting chapter of _Teen Titans Z_... Wait, what the hell?**

**Who wrote that? This isn't Dragonball Z, it's not even close to that.**

**Well, another day, another chapter. I have to say, this was actually pretty difficult to write considering I don't normally like the whole body swap thing, and it's kinda hard to keep track of who says what when writing. But hopefully I did a well enough job for all my voracious readers to understand and enjoy what you read. If not, I apologize.**

**For those of you who take the time to read these Author's Notes, thank you, you people are my favorite. To those who do not read these Author's Notes, I still like you, but not as much as the people who do read these.  
**

**Just a repeat, but remember to write a review if you want to, and if you have any questions or suggestions, PM me if you want. I enjoy hearing from all of you.**

**Until next time, See You Space Cowboys.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the DC Universe, nor do I own anything from Teen Titans. Any other references made belong to their respective owners, again I own nothing.**


	10. Deep Six

**Author's Notes:**

**I'm not entirely sure of this or not, but I think I've been spelling Author's incorrectly. Wouldn't I want to spell it as Authors' Note to show possession? Or something? Oh well, I've done it for ten chapters now, and no one's been complaining so I guess it doesn't matter.**

**Welcome one and all to another thrilling chapter of a fanfiction with an original character in it. I was to thank each and every one of you for your love and support, or if you hate it, your hatred and rejection. Either way, I still enjoy you reading the story.**

**Not much to say in the beginning, remember to write a review if you want to. If you have any questions or suggestions, PM me, I'll make sure to get back to you on whatever you may ask.**

**So... yeah, let's go.**

* * *

You couldn't tell where the gray skies ended and the gray seas began. Clouds swirled in a tumult of stormy air above while blue-gray waves swirled below, crashing into the side of the iron-gray freighter as it rode the swells. Lighting cracked across the sky as thunder rumbled with heavy rains pouring down on the deck. Three crewmen stumbled about, struggling to secure a tarp over a group of several dozen 55-gallon drums; two other such collections had already been covered. At the helm, the captain steered the steadiest course possible under the circumstances as waves broke on the bow and wind threatened to pull the sheeting out of the men's hands.

As one more wave crashed onto the deck, one of the barrels tipped over and rolled across the deck, only to stop when a booted foot came down on it. When it stopped, the crewmen could see it marked with the universal symbol for radiation hazards. "_Watch it!_" The captain's voice shouted through the decks' loudspeakers, "_Any of that toxic junk goes into the bay, we're all in deep trouble!_" He finished before the crew-members carefully rolled the overturned barrel back with the rest.

Clambering its' way up the side of the ship, a silhouette, reptilian in figure with glowing yellow eyes, hung in front of a window that led to the helm before lifting a long trident. On deck, the men were still struggling to get the waste squared away. However, an explosion from around the corner of the wheelhouse, followed by the walls and windows blowing out, caught their attention as they turned to see what just transpired.

Having ruined the interior of the ships' helm, the silhouette slowly approached the captain, who was sprawled on his back due to the explosion. "Who… or what are you?" The captain struggled to ask as he looked up at the figure.

The creature took a few steps before responding, "I am excellence. I am perfection. I am Trident!" The silhouette, referring to itself as Trident, boasted as he raised his weapon into the air. A flash from the three-pronged spears' points illuminated him fully, exposing his body; covered in green scales, except for his chest, hands, and face, and black vein like lines coming from the edges of his gray face toward the center and a whisker coming from the edges of his mouth in a downward angle. His chest was the same color gray as his face, looking much like plated armor that reached down his torso and stopping at his waist.

The light from the spear flashed to intensely for the captain, causing him to cry out as he shielded his eyes with his arm from the sudden flare. When the light died, the captain moved his arm away to see that the creature that stood in front of him had disappeared.

The storm finally took a turn for the worse and began bombarding the ship with more and more waves. On the port side, the waves spilled across the deck, carrying the creature up with them. In its' hands it held a large clamp with a cable attached to it.

"Hey!" One of the crewmen yelled as the creature attached the device to the railing before diving over the side. The men on the ship were caught by surprise when they faced starboard and saw the same reptilian creature latching another device on the side of the ship before leaping into the bay.

"He's everywhere!" Another working hand cried out as they barely had time to look toward the stern before seeing the same figure place another clamp there as well.

Staggering and groaning, the captain crossed the wheelhouse and looked out through the hole in its walls as he braced himself against the blown out metal. After watching the creature dive off the ship, the cables on the clamps pulled taut and started dragging the ship into the bay, stern first.

"_Abandon ship! Abandon ship!_" The captain ordered as he shouted through the loudspeakers. The panicking crew wasted no time in following this order and barely made it to the life rafts as the bow of the freighter rose higher and higher before finally slipping beneath the waves.

The last the captain and the crew saw of their vessel was when the mysterious creature, silhouetted against flashes of lightning, perched triumphantly atop the prow before disappearing below the surface. The utterly flabbergasted seafarers tried figuring out how they lost their ship and a huge consignment of radioactive leftovers as their rubber craft bobbed radically in the maelstrom.

0-0

After the major storm the night before, the sun was shining beautifully over Jump City the next morning. However, after receiving a call from the coast guards after the recovery of the crewmen who had lost their freighter, the Titans sprang into action and readied themselves for a deep-sea adventure. Unfortunately, the only person well equipped for deep-sea exploration was the resident shape-shifter. Luckily, both Cyborg and Kylar were working on a vehicle suited perfectly for occasions such as this. Having revealed a perfectly crafted submarine, the Titans were ready to take on any threat they might face when below the Earth's surface.

"Begin launch sequence." The masked leader of the team said through a microphone headset. He appeared to be seated in what appeared to be a cockpit with windows protecting him from the outside. "Main power online." Robin added as he pressed several buttons on a panel.

"Oxygen tanks at maximum." Starfire said as she too was seated in a similar looking cockpit as the Boy Wonder with a microphone headset on.

"Defensive systems active." Raven stated as she glanced down at her own controls.

"Navigational equipment fully functional." Kylar said through his headset.

"Twin-turbo hydrojet engine, purring like a kitten." Cyborg commented happily as he spoke through his microphone.

"And your secret weapon is ready to rock." Beast Boy finally stated as he lounged in the chair of his own cockpit.

"_Only time you qualify as a secret weapon is after eating a tofu bean burrito._" The bionic Titan joked over the headset. These words surprised the little green guy, causing him to flail about in his chair before a vein popped out of his forehead.

"_Uh, 'scuse me, bud._" The changeling returned over the headset, "_Can you breathe underwater? Uh-uh. Can you be any fish in the sea?_"

"Uh-uh." Cyborg responded grudgingly as he heard the green teen taunt him from his cockpit.

"_Didn't think so._" Beast Boy said as he cracked his knuckles.

" _Beast Boy's right. His skills are essential to our mission._" Robin said, reinforcing the importance of the shape-shifters' abilities. The compliment seemed to have gone to Beast Boys' head as a sight gag showed him blowing a loud raspberry with his tongue flicking out from the headphones to cover the hefty Titan with drool. "We have to find out what this Trident guy is planning. If it takes forty barrels of toxic waste, I doubt it's environmentally friendly." The masked teen added, saying the words from his cockpit over the microphone.

The engines had finished warming up as the entire sub rested on a platform that descended through a water-filled shaft to a horizontal exit tunnel deep below the Tower that shot straight out into the bay. Orange in color, and shaped something like a manta ray with gray trim on the front, back ends of the wings, and the thrusters connected to said wings, along with two greenish-blue cannons situated on the front, the submarine was built large enough to hold the six members of the team. Two cockpits placed in the front, working as co-captains for the entire vessel, three cockpits lined behind, one on each wing and one in the middle, and the final cockpit situated on the tail of the sub. Robin and Cyborg occupied the two cockpits on the bow, Starfire occupied the port side cockpit, Beast Boy in the center, Raven in the starboard cockpit, and Kylar seated in the stern cockpit. All of whom were buckled with a harness that crossed over both of their shoulders to keep them secure in their chairs.

After sliding down level with the passageway, the engines roared to life. "Titans! Launch!" Robin shouted. On his word, the submarine shot out at full force along the chute, steadily gaining speed and pushing every juvenile hero back into his or her seat. The vessel approached a closed hatch, which slid open to reveal the bottom of Jump City Bay.

"WAAAA-HOOOO!" Cyborg whooped as the ship blasted out of the opening and into the blue depths. Whatever waited for the team, surely it would be no match for their combined teamwork.

0-0

As the submarine made its' way through the deep blue depths, it chugged straight through a school of passing fish, disrupting the formation.

"Oooh, wondrous!" Starfire awed as she watched the fish scatter around the vessel.

"If you think _they're_ cool, wait 'til you see me out there kicking butt." The green teen taunted as he raised a fist, "First, I'm going shark." He added before turning his teeth to points and gnashing them together, the sound echoing through each team members' headsets.

In a different cockpit, a robotic finger reached up and pressed a button labeled **MIC**. Once pressed, the sound of Beast Boys' teeth clicking together was cut off.

Back in the little showoffs' cockpit, the sound of his teeth were softened and sounded very muffled to the rest of the crew. "Hey! What just… is this thing on?" The changeling asked as he tapped on his headset, his dental profile returning to normal. "Hey, cut it out!"

Back to the bionic mans' cockpit, Cyborg pressed the button again, allowing Beast Boys' audio to return to normal, "Goodness me." He said, feigning innocence, "I seem to have _accidentally_ switched off Beast Boy's microphone."

"_Could you go ahead and _accidentally_ leave it off__?_" Raven asked flatly through the headset. The comment caused the same vein in the green teens' forehead to throb again as he shot the mage a dirty look through the glass of their cockpits.

Kylar chuckled lightly before the sound of the sonar caught his attention. He looked at his controls and saw a red dot flashing on his radar display, "Guys, sonar's found something."

"Right, Beast Boy. Ready to go?" Robin asked his green teammate.

"Dude, I was born ready." Said Titan smirked as he removed his headset and unbuckled his harness. "Time to do what I do best. Try not to be jealous." He gloated as he sank through his chair, looking at Raven before exiting the ship through an airlock.

Once exiting the vessel, Beast Boy transformed into a gargantuan green-and-black creature and floated level with the vessel as it peered into the mages' cockpit. "He just put on three hundred thousand pounds. I am _so_ jealous." Raven sarcastically remarked as the massive whale ascended above the sub.

"_I thought he was 'going shark._'" Kylar quipped as the green sea creature swam ahead of the sub before transforming into a hammerhead shark. "_There he goes_."

As the vessel with the remaining Titans followed, the green shark swam toward a wreckage of a freighter at the floor of the bay. "There's our ship," the Boy Wonder said. As they got closer, it became apparent that the substance it was once carrying had vanished long before they got there, "But where's the cargo?"

As the green predator swam along the hull of the wreckage, a set of exterior searchlights shined from the sub to keep a fix on the creatures' position. "_If this dude's bad enough to sink a whole ship, those barrels could be anywhere by now_." Cyborg stated as the shark swam through an opening in the freighter.

While the hammerhead shark continued its' search, it passed a figure hidden in the murky shadows. The shadow resembled that of a young man who looked after him before swimming up and away through the ship. Outside, the submarine described a slow circle around the wreck, keeping both lights trained on it for any movement.

Inside, another shadowed figure floated by the hull, watching the search for a moment before swimming along the ship's length to the breach.

"_Anyone see anything__?_" Robin asked through the headset as they made another pass of the freighter.

"_Just a lot of rocks_." Kylar responded as a school of fish swam out of the ship's hull, "_And fish, little fish. Sponges_."

The team continued their search as the floodlight beams reached another opening in the hull. Just as the lights passed by, a shadowed figure shot out of the hole closely followed by the green shark. "Looks like Beast Boy found Trident." The spiky-haired teen said. They sub pulled away from the freighter to follow the chase, but to their misfortune the second, more menacing figure dropped into their wake and tailed everyone.

A blast from the figures' weapon struck the starboard wing, catching each pilots' attention, "Looks like Trident found us!" Cyborg groaned angrily.

Beast Boy, still as a shark, continued his pursue of the other mysterious swimmer, transforming into a barracuda as he unleashed a burst of speed to close the gap between him and his target, leaving the submarine to face the underwater villain by itself.

The mysterious enemy's shots peppered the water around the vessel, scoring a hit just off the port side of Robin's cockpit. "Kylar! Bring us about! Raven! Get ready to fire!" On his word, the brunette turned his steering wheel sharply, causing the sub to move in a swift U-turn, only to find the water calm and silent after doing so.

"Where'd he go?" The metallic Titan asked as he looked around fervently.

Still unable to find anything, the rest of the team scanned the depths through their own canopy. It wasn't until a blast struck Starfires' glass that the five teens reacted.

"He is there!" The auburn-haired alien gasped as the shadowed figure swam past her cockpit.

"No! That way!" Raven cried as she also spotted their attacker swimming past her canopy.

"Back here!" The black-jacketed Titan yelled as he watched the figure swim over him and disappear behind the vessel.

Finally, the enemy floated in front of the sub where both Cyborg and Robin caught a glimpse of it, "It's him!" The bionic man cried before the figure dove beneath their deep-sea vehicle.

More blasts struck the vessel before the Titans put the pedal to the metal and plowed through the depths in an attempt to escape their attacker. "He can't be in four places at once!" The masked Titan exclaimed, "Head for that-"

The sounds of alarms going off in the cockpits cut the boy off. Cyborg looked down and noticed the screen for the power gauges flashing red, while the power in the battery images depleted drastically. "The engines are fried! We're going down!" He cried as the sub dropped through the depths at an alarming rate.

Back with the chase between the mysterious figure and Beast Boy, the figure quickly turned around and watched as the sub descended far too quickly for its' own good, with their attacker bombarding the stern at will. The figure quickly turned to its pursuer as waves of energy began radiating from the forehead.

'_Your friends are in danger._' The voice of the mysterious figure echoed through the mind of Beast Boy, who was now in the shape of a bull shark, when the waves of energy reached him.

'_My friends are in what?_' The shark asked, completely confused as it stopped its pursuit, '_Whoa! How did you say that? Dude! How did _I_ say that?_" The shape-shifter asked. However, he had no time for an answer as he turned toward the scene of his friends plummeting to their doom, '_Hey!_' He cried before charging off to rescue his teammates. '_Okay._' The shark quickly morphed into a green swordfish, '_Hero time. This is my big chance to prove I'm the-_' Something blue and black flashed past him, catching his attention, '-_best?_' He looked forward and saw the person he was chasing shoot past him, leaving him in the dust.

The sub, meanwhile, was being used for the villains' target practice. Blazing away, the villainous fish-man was suddenly knocked through the water from a hit from behind. He quickly turned around and faced the one who struck him, a young male teen, roughly around the same age as the Titans; blue scaly skin on his fingers, upper arms, and chest; black scales on his forearms, hands, legs, and neck; along with pure black eyes without whites and long, flowing hair of the same color.

In their attempt to evade their attacker, the Titans found themselves further away from the city coast and now in the ocean as the badly damaged craft dropped into a fissure in the floor. Inside the sub, water began spurting through cracks in the hull, shorting out the controls.

"Main power's down! Hydrojets are toast and we're leaking air!" Cyborg exclaimed as he braced himself in his seat.

"Tell me something I don't know." Robin stated flatly.

"Okay. We're all going to drown." The resident mage deadpanned as the sub descended deeper into the fissure.

As it sank, the outer structure of the sub began creaking, finally giving way to the depths' pressure, "The hull's starting to break," Kylar said as the glass of his canopy cracked, "Any deeper, and the pressure will crush us."

At a nearby rock formation, the blue and black teen slammed against it; back first, as the villainous fish-man approached him. A sudden charge by the young fellow sent both tumbling into the open to grapple a bit before the evil opponent started throwing punches. The longhaired teen dodged each swing before swimming up quickly, then coming down behind his opponent and placing him in a headlock.

The green swordfish quickly zipped past the struggle and dove into the chasm, '_Let Pretty Boy wrestle._' The fish thought before transforming into a squid, '_Only Beast Boy can save a whole submarine._' He dove further, picking up speed, to do just that.

"Titans! Brace for impact!" Robin shouted.

"Oh man!" The bionic teen cried as they fell further and further into the dark chasm and grinded against the wall, causing a massive cloud of dust to float through the water.

At the edge of the fissure, the escaping villain kicked the blue-and-black clad teen down. Looking after him, then down at the impending disaster, the teen focused his mind as he used his telepathic powers to summon two nearby whales.

The Titans' vessel sank faster and faster, as the green squid raced after it. '_I got it, I got it!_' Beast Boy exclaimed before the two whales swam past him, '_Huh?_' Both sea creatures floated neatly under the doomed vessel and lifted it to the top of the fissure. Beast Boy could only watch in hopeless confusion at the sight. '_They got it? How come they got it?_'

'_Because I asked for their help._' The young sea teen thought as he floated next to the squid.

'_You talk to fish? Yeah, right._' The green squid pouted as it crossed two of its tentacles across its' front.

'_I'm talking to you, aren't I?_' The pretty boy asked with a friendly smile.

The comment caused a big sweat drop to slide down the squid's head, '_Well, I, uh… technically I'm a squid._' Beast Boy returned.

'_It's called telepathy.'_ The teen explained, '_Follow me._' He finished before swimming away, following the direction of the two whales.

'_It's called telepathy._' The green squid mocked in a very snarky tone as a vein throbbed on its' head.

'_I heard that._' The blue and black male said, causing the squid to blush in embarrassment.

'_Who _is_ this guy?_' The changeling thought before following.

0-0

After a very close call, the submarine rose from the water of a large body of water inside an even larger cavern before floating slowly to the shore. Robin and Starfire were the first ones to exit the vessel. Once they touched down on solid ground, both teens looked around in amazement.

"Beautiful." The orange-skinned teen awed as the spiky-haired boy let off a low whistle.

"It's not beautiful!" The two teens heard a disgruntled voice cry out. They turned and saw Cyborg and Kylar next to the damaged vessel, the former standing and rubbing his hands on his head, while the latter knelt on the ground and pounded his right fist against the rocks, "It's totaled! Aw, man, I never even got to use the seismic blasters!"

"So much money went into getting those parts… And for what?" The brunette sighed sadly.

Raven debarked the sub and floated to the shore, "Where are we?" She asked once she touched down and looked around.

"My place." A voice echoed throughout the cavern. All five Titans turned their heads and faced the water where the blue and black clad teen from before rose to the surface on the back of a beaching whale. Jumping high and far, he landed on the shore as the marine mammal submerged again. "I told the whales to bring you here." The pretty boy admitted as he approached the cloaked girl.

"Okay… uh… thanks." The sorceress blushed as she turned away from the handsome male.

"Oh, yes, truly, truly, thank you so much for saving us." Starfire popped up next to the young swimmer, also blushing deeply.

"_He_ saved you?" The teens heard an irritated voice come from the body of water. They turned again and saw Beast Boy lifting himself onto the shore, "Hel-_lo_? I was there too, you know." He cried as he shook off a starfish from his left boot.

"You stopped Trident from kebabbin' us with that souped-up shrimp fork?" The bionic teen asked sarcastically as he slid up next to the green teen.

"_And_ pulled us out of that chasm just before the pressure crushed us?" The brunette inquired as he popped up behind the changeling.

"Way to go!" Robin sarcastically cheered as he slid up on the other side their teammate.

A sweat drop fell down Beast Boys' temple as he was bombarded with the statements, "Well, I was gonna, but…" He couldn't come up with any sort of excuse.

"I'm Aqualad." Mr. Long, Tan, and Handsome said as he walked up to the quad of boys, "Sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier. We Atlanteans try to keep a low profile." He extended his hand.

The green changeling took it and shook, "Good job." He said sarcastically, "Don't think anybody even noticed you."

To be completely honest, it would appear as though the girls _definitely_ noticed the potential ally's presence. Raven and Starfire were completely smitten; their eyes became hearts while more of them floated up from their bodies as they ogled the Atlantean from behind his back.

The normally gloomy mage was the first to snap out of her infatuation, "You're from Atlantis?" She asked, causing Aqualad to turn to her.

He nodded in response, "And so is Trident." He said before leading the team to a holographic projector. Once they reached the device, the young Atlantean showed a freeze-frame of Trident blasting the landscape, along with another scene of him lifting a piece of marble column he broke, "He's the worst criminal in Atlantis," Aqualad stated as he showed another scene of the villain firing blasts from his weapon at fleeing people, "With an ego to match." He then showed a full-figure shot of said criminal and stepped in front of it. "Trident claims he's perfect in every way, so he thinks he can do whatever he wants."

"Any idea what he wants with all that toxic waste?" The masked Titan asked.

"Whatever it is, it'll be bad for both our worlds." The deep-sea swimmer replied, "He's already gained some kind of new power. It's like he can be everywhere at once." He added as he stepped away from the projector.

"Noticed that." The mage commented.

"As long as we're after the same guy, maybe we can help each other." Aqualad offered.

The offer surprised Beast Boy, "Whoa, hey, no, we're good." He hastily answered as he pushed his masked and cloaked teammates away from the Atlantean, "Got the _whole_ Trident thing under control. 'Sides, I'm sure there's a school of minnows somewhere that need your- Uh!" He was cut off when a green-gloved hand reached over and yanked him away.

All six Titans leaned in for a huddle after Robin pulled the short green member in, "We're at the bottom of the ocean." Raven said.

"Our sub's Swiss cheese." Cyborg stated begrudgingly, motioning to their damaged vehicle.

"Communication with the surface is complete cut." Kylar added.

"And we cannot breath water." Starfire finished.

After a brief moment of silence, the team leader quickly poked his head up from the huddle, "We'll take any help you can give us."

With a nod and smile, the young Atlantean turned his head to the side, "Hey, Tramm!" He called out.

At the other end of the cavern, a half-clamshell on the floor flipped up to reveal a manhole underneath. What climbed out was a reptilian humanoid, perhaps three feet tall, in short overalls and wearing a backpack. The eyes were very large and protruded from the sides of its' head. The creature leapt out of the hole and ran to the group, saying something in its' own language as it approached.

Aqualad knelt when the little guy reached him, "Want to give these people a hand with their sub?" The jubilant reptilian babbled excitedly as he cracked his knuckles and clapped his hands before running to the submarine. "Tramm's good with tools." The blue and black clad teen said as he watched his friend rush over to the damaged vessel.

One high jump carried the creature known as Tramm onto the hull and deposited him near a breach in the hull. Muttering to himself a bit, he reached in and brought up the severed ends of two groups of cables before stretching them out and laying them over the broken edges. He then dipped into his pack and yanked out a jackhammer-like device, which he plied with gusto.

Cyborg and Kylar rushed over, "Yo, careful! That's our sub you're messing with!" The metallic Titan cried.

"We need that to get home!" The brunette added with a bit of caution in his voice.

"And while he's helping you, I'll track down Trident." Aqualad said as he crossed in front of the other Titans. He nearly reached the water's edge when Beast Boy ran up to him.

"You mean _I'll_ track down Trident." The changeling said as he pushed the Atlantean out of the way.

"That's okay, I can handle it." Aqualad said as he pushed the shorter teen out of the way.

"Thanks, but I think I should do this." Beast Boy began pushing harder against the taller underwater diver.

"Seriously, I'll take care of it!" Said diver cried as he rushed back over and lifted the shape-shifter off the ground and placed said teen behind him.

The greenling then jumped in front the young Atlantean and tried pushing him away again; "Would you just get out of my-" They both grabbed each other.

"Let me go!" They both yelled in unison as the fracas continued. It wasn't until Robin ran over and pushed them apart did they stop fighting.

"Guys!" The spiky-haired Titan yelled as he stood between the two conflicting teens, "Why don't you _both_ track him down together?"

"I usually work alone." Aqualad answered as he glared at the green teen.

"Yeah. Me too." Beast Boy said smugly with his arms crossed in front of him.

"You do not! You're part of a team!" The blue-scaled teen cried, pointing accusing at the changeling.

"And _you_ hang out with Tramm the fish-boy!" Said changeling returned, shaping his head into the likeness of the reptilian he was talking about, "What's your point?" They both glared at each other before Robin pushed them apart again.

"Hey! Arguing isn't going to stop Trident. Now get out and search-both of you." The leader of the Titans ordered.

The two gave each other one more dirty look before diving into the water. Robin just stood there and shook his head disgustedly as Kylar walked up next to him.

"What's so great about working alone? Is it supposed to be cool or something?" The brunette asked. His teammate only shrugged in response to his questions.

0-0

Deep below sea level, Aqualad and Beast Boy, in the form of a green squid again, were swimming near the ocean floor before stopping for a look around.

'_I searched that region yesterday._' The Atlantean thought as he pointed to his left. He began moving in the opposite direction, '_We'll start over-_"

'_Look. I'm sure you're some kind of local hero,_' the jealous squid cut him off, '_but I'm the real hero from the big city. So just let _me_ call the shots-_" He thought before turning into a green dolphin, '-_and try to keep up._' Clicking sounds emerged from the dolphin, the equivalent of sonar tracking or echolocation for the mammal, as he swam around Aqualad a bit. Finally the marine mammal concentrated on one heading, '_I'm picking something up on my sonar! Come on!_' The animal moved out quickly, but his partner only eased forward a bit.

What was located was a group of real dolphins that darted playfully around the green one. '_Congratulations. You found other dolphins._' The young swimmer smirked as he crossed his arms.

'…_I knew that._' Beast Boy returned.

Aqualad moved in and hit the mammals with a burst of telepathy, after which they swam off together. '_They told me where to find Trident. Try to keep up_.' He beckoned as he swam to follow the animals.

'_Oh, I'll do better than that._' The dolphin thought as he quickly rushed off to catch up. Once he reached the Atlantean, he quickly pulled ahead. As a response, Aqualad kicked into gear, and the informal race ranged over the ocean floor, weaving around the occasional rock formations.

Finding himself neck and neck with Beast Boy, who changed from a dolphin to a barracuda, Aqualad kept accelerating to try and maintain the lead. In a twinkling, the barracuda turned into a swordfish and moved ahead once more despite the swimmers' best efforts. Something ahead of the two racers caught his attention, causing the Atlantean to suddenly halt. '_Beast Boy! Stop!_' He called out in an alarmed tone.

'_What's the matter? Am I too fast for y-Guh!_" A collision with a foreign object cut off the shape-shifters' taunt, causing him to drop to the floor, dazed, as his partner caught up. After collecting his bearing, Beast Boy looked up to come face to face with the one they were searching for: Trident. '_Heh… how's it going_?' He asked nervously.

"Keep your thoughts to yourself, inferior fool!" Trident growled as he aimed his weapon at the green fish and fired it up. The swordfish ducked away just in time to avoid the attack, causing the villain to strafe the ground near his feet before Aqualad tackled him, sending both of them tumbling behind a ridge.

'_Oh, no, you don't!_' Beast Boy thought as he transformed into a bull shark. '_This time he's mine!'_ As a shark, he approached the ridge, but stopped short when Trident jumped up onto it from behind.

The three prongs on his spear started blazing like a machine gun, but a lucky snap of the jaws broke the shaft and silenced them. Not giving up so easily, Trident reached out with one big hand and seized the predator, who quickly morphed into a squid and wrapped its' tentacles around the enemy, causing both to tumble behind the ridge.

Behind another formation of rocks, Aqualad and his opponent were grappling for a hold on the fork the villain held. The black-haired hero finally wrenched it away, throwing his opponent several yards, and breaking the weapon over his knee.

'_INCOMING!_' The young Atlantean heard the voice of his partner call out from behind him. He turned around, only to be greeted by a large green squid wrapping itself around his face. Struggling to peel those tentacles away, Aqualad gave the marine animal a very nasty look once he got free. '_I said, "incoming."_' Both looked over to see their target swimming away into a dark grotto.

'_He's getting away!_' The blue-scaled teen exclaimed as both he and Beast Boy moved in to chase him. Once they entered the grotto, they stopped and looked around a bit only to find no one there.

'_Hmmm…_' Beast Boy thought as he brought his tentacles around to make it look as though he was thinking intensely on a subject, curling one up into a ball and placing it in between his eyes.

'_Where were you back there?_' Aqualad asked furiously.

'_Where was _I_?_ _Fighting Trident, by myself!_' The green squid returned.

'_You barely laid a tentacle on him!_' The swimmer snapped back in disbelief, '_At least I managed to break his weapon!_' He thought as he pointed a thumb at himself.

Beast Boy shot him an uneasy look, '_Dude, that's just wrong.'_ He thought as he shook his head, '_I _so_ broke that fork thing!_'

The Atlantean gritted his teeth, ready to deliver a crushing response… or a right hook. But before he could make up his mind, he noticed Trident swimming past them, heading deeper into the grotto. Beast Boy looked in a different direction and saw a pair of eyes shining in the black distance before disappearing behind a column of rocks.

'_There he goes!_' Both teens thought in unison as they pointed in opposite direction. Both shot each other a dirty glare, as they just can't agree on anything.

'_I saw him! He's that way! I'm right, you're wrong! End of story!_' The squid shouted mentally as he began swimming in the direction he indicated, '_If you don't believe me, see you later!_'

'_I'm telling you he's this way! If you want to go that way, be my guest-but I'm going to catch Trident!_' The other teen exclaimed before swimming in the direction he indicated.

0-0

As the disgruntled Atlantean made his way through the darkened grotto, columns of flame and steam shot up from undersea geysers. He made his way through, weaving around each very dangerous, and probably scalding hot streams of steam. After he passed, Trident emerged from within the boiling fumes and set off in pursuit. Suddenly, Aqualad found himself on the receiving end of a tackle, much like the one he laid on the evildoer earlier, sending both tumbling through another cloud of smoke and out of sight.

0-0

On the other side of the grotto, Beast Boy made his way through the path he chose, sulking as he swam through the archways of rocks. '_Pretty-boy know-it-all showoff._' The green squid thought angrily, '_Thinks he's so-_'

"Worthless scum!" A menacing voice growled, catching the changelings' attention, "You cannot defeat perfection!"

Beast Boy quickly turned around and saw the evil Atlantean standing on a boulder carrying another three-pronged spear in his hand, '_How many of those fork thingies do you have?_' He asked. Instead of an answer, Trident just snarled and unloaded a few blasts that caused Beast Boy to almost tie himself in knots as he dodged.

The aquatic villain fired again and again, sending the green kraken speeding away for cover. As the aggressor closed in, Beast Boy transformed into a turtle and yanked his head and legs into the shell. Once he did so, the spear Trident held thrust at him, but merely clanged off the hard carapace when it connected. A follow-up blast did no damage either, but it _did_ send the poor animal hurtling through the dark depths.

As the green sea turtle fell from view, Trident drifted after him. "I will win! I always win!" The Zod-wannabe gloated, "I am superior!"

However, a large claw shot out from the blackness that clocked onto the wooden shaft of the villains' spear. Trident backed away in an attempt to escape the incoming attack, '_And I thought Aqualad had a big ego._' Beast Boy thought as he was hauled out of the darkness, revealing himself to be a giant crab, and lashed out with his other claw.

0-0

Among the geysers, Aqualad found himself on the losing side of a battle with his underwater foe as he was kicked down toward the seafloor, landing flat on his back once he hit. Rubbing his head, he looked up and found Trident hurling himself downward, namesake at the ready. The young aquatic teen quickly swam out of the way just in time as a bolt of energy cracked the spot he occupied.

Trident lost track of him as the Atlantean teen swam away, but only for a moment as the blue-and-black-skinned fighter darted back in and kicked him in the head, sending the trident and its' user flying in different directions; the former landing prong-side down and sticking up among the fire spurts.

Both swimmers charged it, but to the misfortune of the teen, Trident was the first to reach it. Wrapping his fingers around the weapon and yanking it from the ground, the villainous fish-man took a couple of swings that barely missed Aqualads' blue-scaled chest.

More lunges from Trident forced the young swimmer back toward the edge of one geyser. One last swing caused him to lose his balance and stumble near the lip. Trident raised the fork, ready to impale the half-prone boy beneath him. As he brought it down, Aqualad seized the head, stopping the sharp points just inches from his face. The two struggled, but the evil creature from the black lagoon gradually pushed the points toward their intended target. In one final, desperate attempt to avoid death, the young Atlantean performed a quick underwater sidestep and released his grip. With his force no longer meeting any more resistance, Trident flew forward into the geyser, which blew its top right as he entered.

As the steam cleared, Aqualad found himself alone before making a beeline for a patch of light shining down from an above opening.

0-0

Once Aqualad made it to the surface, he leapt from the water and landed on a rocky shore at the water's edge. The aquatic teen looked around and noticed he was in a cavern similar to the one he called home, only a bit darker in color. As he walked further into the cavern, he came across Beast Boy, who was back in human form.

"I just saw Trident!" Both teens shouted in unison. They shot each other a confused look, "No, you didn't!" They yelled as they leaned closer to each other, "Yes, I did!" Flames began surrounding them, symbolizing their frustration with each other, "Cut it out!" They yelled as the flames died down.

"I don't care _what_ you saw! I fought Trident!" The green shape-shifter argued as he pointed a finger accusingly at the taller teen.

"That's impossible!" Aqualad cried in disbelief.

A vein throbbed on the shorter Titans' forehead, "Okay, dude. What is your problem?" He asked angrily as he flailed his arms about in an attempt to hit the Atlantean. However, his attacks were useless as a long arm and hand planted on his head stopped him from getting close enough to do so.

"What is _your_ problem? We're supposed to be on the same side, but you treat me like an enemy!" Aqualad returned, irritation prevalent in his voice.

"I don't _need_ you on my side!" The changeling snapped back as he continued flailing about, "This was _my_ mission until you showed up!" He let up and pushed Aqualad's hand away, "You think you're _so_ cool, but I've got a news flash for you: You're not better than me!" Beast Boy shouted angrily.

"I _don't_ think I'm better than you!" Aqualad shouted back with the same intensity.

His response left the green teen completely stunned, "You don't?" Were the only words he could muster.

"Maybe you're better than me. Who cares? I just want to catch Trident." The blue-and-black clad teen said as he walked past Beast Boy, "And to do that, we need to stop fighting and start working together." He added before walking off in a huff.

His last words were enough to slip the shape-shifters' brain into gear, "Working together…" He mused over the thought before his eyes lit up. "Aqualad!" He called out as he ran after the teen, "What if there's more than one Trident?" He asked once he reached the other boy.

Aqualad turned and looked at the smaller teen, "Don't be ridiculous. How could there be-"

"I know, but what if there _is_?" Beast Boy knew his idea sounded impossible, but it was the only thing that would explain both of them fighting the same enemy, "If he found a way to copy himself? He could be in two places at once. There wouldn't be just one Trident. There'd be-" A large glob of yellow slime fell onto his face, cutting him off mid-sentence.

Wiping himself clean, Beast Boy and his partner looked toward the ceiling. What greeted them was a forest of large, gooey, translucent globules suspended from vines that connected to the cavern ceiling, each having the outline of a figure inside.

"-thousands." The Atlantean muttered, completely shocked at the sight. Upon closer inspection, both teens noticed the figures inside to be clones of the evil villain they had been fighting multiple times.

"Uh-oh." The green teen said softly.

"One Trident is bad…" Aqualad began.

"…but this is…" Beast Boy continued.

"…an army!" Multiple menacing voices finished in unison. Both teens turned around and saw the explanation to how the "impossible" attacks and maneuvers performed by the villain were accomplished; a horde of Tridents stood ready to fight.

On the other side of the cavern, the hazardous waste drums from the sunken freighter stood in groups, with pipes running from them up to the forest of developing clones, nourishing them.

The multitude on the ground roared and ran at Beast Boy and Aqualad, who braced themselves for a full-scale throw down and charged. Aqualad quickly dodged an incoming blast and leapt behind one of the many clones. Gripping the weapon his enemy held, he fired a few blasts at other clones, knocking a few of them out.

Beast Boy rushed into the battle as well. Transforming into a polar bear, he raised an enormous paw and brought it down on one Trident, sending him tumbling to the ground. He then followed up with swatting away another clone, then another, until one Trident, armed with a spear, raised his weapon and fired it at the green artic ursine. The result of the blast sent Beast Boy flying backwards until he crashed into a console. As he slumped to the ground, a red-letter message that read: _**Hatching Sequence Beginning**_ flashed on the screen while sparks flew out of the device.

Back in human form, the green Titan quickly stood up and rubbed his head, a big drop of sweat rolled down his temple as he saw what he just did. "Oops." He chuckles sheepishly as Aqualad fetched up next to him, "Great." He sighed sarcastically as more and more clones surrounded them.

"My brilliant plan is already a success." One of the Tridents said.

"If one of me was perfect…" Another began.

"…why not make more?" Yet another clone finished.

"You can never have too much of a good thing."

"Once my army conquers Atlantis…"

"…I will declare war on the surface world! Everyone on the planet will bow down before me…" Wow, this guy really likes the sound of his voice.

"…And praise my perfection!" All the Tridents cheered in unison.

"Any bright ideas?" Aqualad asked the shape-shifting Titan.

Beast Boy smirked, "Just one. Try to keep up." He walked forward and spoke to the horde of Tridents, "So, if you're all perfect, which one of you is the best?" He asked.

"I am!" Each copy replied simultaneously. They all turned and faced each other, "Huh?"

"Come on. You can't all be the best." The longhaired Atlantean added, catching on to what Beast Boy was thinking, "One of you _must_ be better than the rest."

"I am the original! I am the best!" One of the Tridents cried out from among the sea of clones.

"You are not the original!" Another clone snapped back.

"I am!" All the Tridents cried out in unison again.

"Nonsense, you inferior fools! _I_ am perfection! _I_ am Trident!" Another vain clone boasted. As the tension became too much between the copies, a brawl broke out.

Beast Boy and Aqualad only watched, with great satisfaction, the chaos they provoked and winced at the sound of the ruckus. Once it died down, dazed or unconscious Tridents were sprawled everywhere on the cavern floor.

"Great idea." The young Atlantean complimented his partner.

"Kinda got it from you." The changeling admitted, "Now we just have to stop those clones from hatching." With that, both teens turned to the panel, which flashed as the final three seconds ticked away. At zero, the red flashing screen was replaced with a single word: _**Begin**_.

"Too late!" The two teens cried in unison. Screeches and howls from above drew their attention; the newly matured Trident clones strained at the membranes holding them and broke through, sending each of them falling and landing on the ground.

With some quick thinking, Beast Boy shifted into a hippopotamus and barreled into the ranks, knocking them every which way like bowling pins. He charged toward the water's edge with Aqualad close behind. Once they reached the shore, the pair dove into the water, the changeling becoming a swordfish upon submerging, while several members of the fresh crop dove in after them.

'_We can't let them escape! We have to find some way of sealing the exit!_' Aqualad thought as he and the green fish did the underwater equivalent of burning rubber.

'_Right now, I'm just worried about _getting_ to the exit._' Beast Boy responded worriedly as the fast approaching opposition, now out in full force, made this chase into a full-fledged horse race.

The young Atlantean and green swordfish charged at a patch of light that marked the cavern's entrance and got clear of the place. As the Tridents pulled closer, a very familiar silhouette pulled into view, causing the clones to stop short. "Huh?" The clones grunted as they further inspected the silhouette.

At a closer glance, they recognized the figure to be the Titans' submarine, back in proper working order thanks to Tramm's efforts. Two huge beams, issuing from emitters on the bow, sliced through the water and struck the upper edge of the cavern entrance, creating a mighty flash upon impact. Once the flash faded, broken rocks that poured down from the blast zone to wall up the pathway came into view.

"Yes!" Robin smiled at the success of the attack.

"Cool!" Raven admitted as she too gave a faint smile.

"Just as planned." Kylar smirked as he folded his arms in front of him.

"Victory!" Starfire cheered as she flashed a V-for-Victory hand sign.

"Boo-yah! Seismic blasters worked like a charm!" Cyborg whooped as he punched the air around him, "Nice repair job, Tramm." He thanked as he gave the reptilian repairman a 'thumbs-up.'

The fish-boy of the hour was in Beast Boy's cockpit as he waved his fists and blabbered happily in gratitude.

Beast Boy, who had now transformed into a squid, and Aqualad looked toward the submarines' handiwork. '_Good thing Trident likes himself so much, 'cause I'm thinking he won't see anybody else for a looong time._' The green squid joked.

0-0

After thwarting the devious plans of the Atlantean villain and safely returning home, the Titans invited their newfound allies to the Tower the next day to properly thank them for all their help.

On the island's shore, Aqualad, Tramm, and the four male Titans stood among the rocks.

"Consider yourself an honorary Teen Titan." Robin said graciously as he handed the young blue-and-black scaled teen a yellow communicator identical to the ones they had. Aqualad smiled calmly at the gift as it played an odd sounding ringtone in his hand. Behind him, Starfire and Raven practically hung over his left shoulder to look at it. "We couldn't have done it without you. Thanks." The spiky-haired Titan added.

"Right back at you. It's good to know there's people up here I can trust." The handsome Atlantean smiled.

"And it's good to know there's folks down there who can fix a hyperjet." The metallic teen said to the aquatic repairman as he held out a fist.

Tramm replied with a hearty bit of gibberish that ended in an easily recognizable, "Boo-yah!" as he tapped his fists against Cyborg's.

"Yeah, maybe you can help us out with our next project soon." Kylar said with a grin as he held up a hand for a high five, Tramm jumping up to happily return it.

Aqualad turned and made eye contact with the love-struck girls, "Bye, Raven… Starfire."

"It was… nice to meet you." The flustered mage said with hearts covering her eyes.

"Oh, very, very, _very_ nice!" The orange-skinned teen happily cheered as she leaned closer and closer into the Honoree, causing him to back away until he was standing next to Beast Boy.

"What can I say, dude? You're the best." The changeling said as he placed his hands on his hips.

"Nah. You're the best." The Honoree returned with a smile.

"Yeah, you're right." Beast Boy cockily said as he walked forward and stretched his limbs. "And if you ever want me to prove it, I'm always up for a race."

Aqualad patted the shorter Titans' head, "Just try and keep up." He chuckled.

Soon after, the two rivals, turned reluctant partners, turned fast friends began running down a path along the shore in an impromptu sprint, shoulder-to-shoulder and smiling broadly.

* * *

_**The world, what a glorious place! Seek freedom and it will lie stretched out before your eyes. If the endless dream guides your restless spirit, seize it! Raise your flag and stand tall!**_

**-Gol D. Roger**

**Author's Notes:**

**I think I know why this episode was considered a filler when it originally aired on TV, not much happened main story wise. I like it though, and writing it was interesting with the telepathy. Did you know that Wil Wheaton voiced Aqualad? I didn't. Also, did you know Clancy Brown, the voice of Mr. Krabs from Spongebob Squarepants and Lex Luthor from many Justice League Animated shows, voiced Trident? I didn't.**

**I don't think Aqualad gets enough credit, he was in only like what? Five episodes where he did something? That's a shame.**

**But enough talk, have at the reviews if you want to. Any questions or suggestions, just PM me, I love hearing your thoughts. **

**Until next time, See You Space Cowboys.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the DC Universe nor do I own anything from Teen Titans. Any references made belong to their respective owners, again I own nothing.**


	11. Masks

**Author's Note:**

**Here's another chapter finally done! Hooray! Please understand that this chapter went through some different thoughts and versions of how the OC was going to get incorporated. Hopefully you all like it and come back for more chapters at a later date. (Please, I'm so lonely.) What? Who said that? Not me, that's for sure.**

**Anyway, I want to thank you all for your love and support. To the new people just joining us on this journey, I want to say, "How're you doing?" If you're returning, thank you, you're all the greatest.  
**

**So without further adieu, let's get on with the chapter. **

* * *

Nothing but silence filled a large, darkened storage area where nothing but a bright beam of white light shined in the center of the room. In it, a red microchip rotated slowly in the air, hoisted by its own power. From within the darkness, a large figure approached the light; clad in black armor, with additional steel plating reinforcing its' shoulders, biceps, shins, and waist, while it also wore a mask that hid the entire face. The mask was black, with a red-orange circle in the center whose edges touched both eyes. Slowly, the figure reached toward the chip, revealing a steel-gloved hand. But before it could grab the object, the thief cocked one eyebrow in surprise as it noticed a familiar red, yellow, and green clad teen hanging upside down on the other side of the suspension field.

"Tell Slade if he wants this, he can come get it himself!" The teen yelled before dropping from his perch and delivering a kick that sent the thief tumbling across the darkened area.

Once the thief landed, the lights in the room came on, showing the other five Titans in formation behind him, as well as revealing the place to be a chamber stuffed with supercomputers. A laser beam lanced down from above, forcing Robin to jump out of its way. He looked up and saw a section of the ceiling being cut. When the section finally fell, it gave way to a cloud of dust where several more intruders, similar to the first, leapt in.

The Boy Wonder did a few more backflips to avoid getting diced by another laser blast and soon had one of the new arrivals coming right at him. He blocked and dodged several punches, then tried to counter with a kick, only for the attack to get deflected. The masked figure then whipped out a brass knuckle-like blaster with a muzzle on the front edge and opened fire. Robin quickly performed a few acrobatic tricks that carried him out of danger before retaliating with a jumping roundhouse kick that sent the attacker crashing into the far wall.

Just above the struggle with the masked leader, Starfire was flying through the chamber, evading shots from a squad member who jumped up after her. She gathered herself and blasted a starbolt that found itself dead center in the chest of her pursuer, sending it skidding across the floor. However, another thief followed up with a blaster of its own and struck one of the light lenses, slicing it off and sending it down to crush the Tamaranean girl directly underneath. Luck would be on this girl's side today as Robin darted across the air and plowed her away just in time as the lens crashed to the ground, creating a massive dust cloud that obstructed their view.

When the dust cleared, Robin set his teammate down gently. She was a bit dazed but soon snapped out of it with a sharp gasp as she noticed what was in front of her.

"Huh?" The spiky-haired hero let out as he looked in the same direction as the orange-skinned Titan. Across the room, three squad members leveled their weapons, ready to blast them to the next world. But before they could shoot, a computer cabinet slid across the floor and bulldozed them across the room before crashing into a wall.

"Amazing what you can do with computers these days." Cyborg smirked as he clapped his hands together before running toward the heart of the battle. Behind him, a green bighorn sheep charged across the ground and into the back of another thief, ramming it into the wall.

Kylar found himself weaving between blasts on the ground from his own opponent as another commando ran up behind him. The thief behind him placed a hand on the brunettes' shoulder, only for the teen to quickly turn around, grab the intruder by the wrist, and fling him over his shoulder into the other henchman, knocking both down to the ground.

On the opposite side of the room, Raven floated backwards across the ground, staying just ahead of a laser beam. Just as another blast was fired from midair, she created a shield around herself, protecting her from the attack as it disintegrated into the floor around her. A moment later, the enemy rushed her and started throwing punches. She was able to stop the advances by forming small barriers in front of herself as she slowly backed away, but a low kick from her opponent cut her legs out from under her and dropped her to the ground. Propping herself on her arms, the mage looked up and saw the blaster aimed at point-blank range.

"Rrrrraaaahhh!" A voice roared to the right of the commando, catching its' attention. The next thing Raven saw was Kylar speeding by, grabbing her attackers' face with his right hand, and ramming it against a nearby wall. The brunette continued slamming its' head multiple times, causing a full body indent to form in the wall. The blue-clad girl stood and stared in genuine surprise as Kylar approached her, the commando lying crumpled in a heap against the crater in the wall behind him. "Are you all right?" The black-jacketed Titan asked. At the end of his question, another armored thief jumped behind him and aimed its blaster at his back.

At the last possible instant, two computers, outlined in black magic, slid together from opposite directions and crushed the would-be shooter between them. Kylar quickly looked over his shoulder to see what happened just as the hardware fell away, revealing the smashed figure within. "You should worry more about yourself." Raven stated as she dispersed her powers.

"Well, that's why I've got my guardian angel, isn't it?" Kylar said happily as he shot the girl a cheerful grin. He couldn't notice, but the remark caused the mage to blush under her hood.

At the center of the room, Cyborg broke out his sonic cannon and started blazing away before receiving help in the form of Starfires' fusillade. One of the thieves leapt impossibly high to avoid the blasts, then pushed off from the wall and sailed straight toward the chip, grabbing the bounty in a fly-by, and racing for the door after touching down. Robin gave chase as he hurled a birdarang at the commando; it struck the thief's hand and knocked the chip high into the air.

"Mine!" The energetic shape-shifter called out before running after the airborne piece of metal. Transforming into an anteater mid-stride, Beast Boy lashed out a long, thin tongue around the chip and snagged it out of the air as he slid to a stop at the wall. Unfortunately, an attacker's boot came down on the tongue, causing it to let go of the chip so it could be seized. "That tasted so nasty." The green teen cried; reverting back to human form and speaking as if he had bitten his tongue as a tear of pain hung from his left eye.

Once the object of importance was in the thief's possession, it quickly vaulted across the room to the door, where five other survivors had gathered, and threw down a smoke bomb. The resulting gray clouds shrouded the commandos and once cleared, it revealed that the six have escaped.

"Titans! GO!" Robin shouted as he ran toward the door in an attempt to chase down the thieves.

0-0

After running through a very long and empty corridor, the six teenage superheroes found themselves in a chamber similar to the one in which the theft occurred. The lights were dim, but not out, and a large circular hatch, covered with a steel grid, was in the center of the floor. Along with the door they entered, there were five other passageways that led out of the chamber.

"Split up!" The leader of the team called out. On his command, each of his teammates fanned out toward the five other doors in an attempt to find the thieves. Seeing as his comrades covered the passageways, Robin headed for the hatch and moved it aside before descending. Climbing down from an overhead ladder, he found himself inside a sewer tunnel. Nothing but the sound of rushing liquid was heard as he dropped into the water. Looking up, he saw one of the thieves making a break for it and quickly gave chase. The commando noticed it was now being followed and quickly shot a blast from its' laser, only for the pursuer to run up the pipe wall and throw a birdarang in retaliation.

A huge jump carried the escapee out of the projectiles' path, and a second shot from the blaster reduced it to junk. Skidding around a corner, the thief made its' way down a side channel and tossed a grenade back at the entrance. Once the explosive detonated, the effect caused the path to be almost entirely blocked by collapsed rock and debris. Robin could do nothing but stare through a small opening in the cave-in as the thief moved further ahead toward a dead end. Once it reached its destination, it raised its' blaster and cut out a door-shaped outline, revealing the side of a mountain at sunset. The commando stood at the opening, ready to make its escape, but was interrupted when a certain auburn-haired Tamaranean flew up to him.

"I am asking you nicely to stop running and-Ah!" Starfire cried as the fugitive shot her down with the blaster, sending her into a free fall. Her assailant jumped out after her and activated hidden jet thrusters in the boot soles and started flying away.

Robin had finally breached the wall of debris and reached the opening just as the armored figure zoomed past him. Looking after him, then at his falling comrade, he leapt out of the opening, a grappling hook in each hand, and fired one down and the second up.

The first line wrapped around the falling Titan as she dropped toward the rocky waterway below, while the second looped onto the armored chest of the thief. The commando stopped ascending and went into a sharp dive; Robin was suddenly yanked along toward the water with a gasp and a long scream as all three flew off, skimming the surface of the water, and heading toward a small beach.

Once the three flyers crashed onto shore, Starfire found herself half-dazed with a wriggling fish stuck in her mouth. She quickly spat the marine animal out of her mouth as she groaned weakly.

"Now talk!" The alien teen heard Robin shout. She looked to her left and saw the boy standing over the masked criminal, holding it by the collar. "Who's Slade? Why does he want this chip?" He demanded angrily as he placed his right hand over the black and orange mask, "And why are you working… for…him?" He trailed off as he pulled the mask away. The reason for his trailing was that the entire front half of the head came off in his hand. Behind said 'face' was a small monitor.

Suddenly, the blank display came to life, resolving into a not-fully-tuned image of an imposing figure silhouetted against an ominous orange light. Behind him stood another shorter and slimmer figure also silhouetted against the light. "_Excellent work, Robin._" The figure complimented in a rather calm and erudite tone through the video feed.

"Slade!" The masked Titan said icily.

"_Really, I think your skills are improving._" The figure, referred to as Slade, added as the image flickered and refined itself.

"No more games! What do you want?" Robin demanded.

"_But you do lack patience._" Slade went on to say, "_If you're really so curious about my intentions, perhaps we should meet-face to face._"

"Tell me where you're hiding and I'll be there in a heartbeat!" The teen snapped back as the image flickered again.

"_Patience, Robin. Patience._" Slade repeated as the sparks crackled from the monitor before cutting off. Smoke rose from within the skull of the robot as the system fell apart.

A fierce scowl settled on Robins' face as he released his grip, dropping the robotic body to the ground. "Robin?" Starfire asked worriedly as she approached him. His only response was turning away from her and stalking his way back to their home.

0-0

Later that night at the Tower, after returning the stolen item, Starfire, Raven, Cyborg, and Kylar had settled themselves on the couch in the Ops Center while Beast Boy stood in front of them; Raven was reading a book while the changeling spoke.

"Okay. All work and no flicks makes me a dull Beast Boy." Said green teen stated as he held up two videotapes, a broad grin slapped across his face, "So, my fellow couch potatoes, what'll it be?" He asked holding up one of the tapes, "Super Ninja Showdown Eight…" The videotape he held showed two ninjas bowing before they started fighting, "…or Maniac Fury: Attack of the Protozoids?" He held the other tape where a Godzilla-like creature spewed fire as screaming people ran for their lives.

"Gee. They both sound _so_ good." Raven sarcastically stated as she continued reading her book, not even looking up at the movie fanatic.

Cyborg rubbed his chin in thought, "Yeah. It's really hard to pick." He said in all seriousness, "Wanna watch 'em both?" He offered with a huge grin.

Kylar let out a soft chuckle while the overly critical Titan gave him a dirty look as a vein flared up on her forehead. "I could go for both." The brunette admitted, earning him a hard stare from the mage that sat to his right.

"Perhaps Robin would enjoy potato-ing the couch with us." Starfire said in her usual misunderstanding of the English language, clearly worried about their leaders' state of being, "Tell me, is he-"

"-in the exact same place he's been since his little chat session with Slade?" Beast Boy interrupted with an annoyed look on his face, "Uh, yeah." He finished. The answer earned him a very worried look on the alien Titans' face as she stood up and walked toward the Ops Center door.

0-0

'_Robin. Is that the best you can do?_' The eerily calm voice of the man who spoke to the Boy Wonder just hours earlier rang through his head.

Robin stood at a desk under a solitary overhead light in his room. Multiple newspaper clippings about different villains' exploits in Jump City hung from the wall in front of him as well as littered the desk and the floor around him.

'_Excellent work, Robin. I think your skills are improving._' Slade's voice rang in his head again, '_If you're really so curious about my intentions, perhaps we should meet-face to face._'

Robin looked down at the desk. It was covered with a jumble of items: notes, maps, blueprints, wires, electrical instruments, parts of the commando robot's equipment… the front half of its head, and a communicator marked with a stylized S. "Who are you?" The masked teen mumbled to himself as he stood in the solidarity of his room, deep in thought. The sound of his room door sliding open snapped him out of his focus.

"Robin?" A very worried Starfire called out to him from behind, "I am wondering if you might wish to-"

"No." Said Titan answered bluntly, causing the Tamaranean to look at the floor sadly, "Thanks. But I need to figure out why Slade wanted that chip." He continued as he turned and faced his friend.

"Agreed." She responded with a smile as she blushed a bit, "And perhaps if you were to take a break, the answer would be easier to-"

"I can't." Robin sighed sadly as he approached the girl at his door, "You almost got hurt. Next time it could be worse." He said with a sense of guilt in his voice, "He's planning something. I have to find out what."

"But, Robin, I am sure that-" The auburn-haired alien began. But the stubborn, spiky-haired teen ended the conversation by closing the door in her face. Sighing quietly, Starfire hung her head as she walked down the hall and made her way back to the Ops Center.

0-0

Back in the trashed chamber where the battle for the chip took place, two prison guards were stationed by the recovered microchip, with only a dim light being their only source of… well… light in the darkened area. All was quiet, no sense of urgency at the moment. But the calm broke when an alarm went off and red warning lights flashed. Both guards ran toward the door and found themselves in an emptied chamber that split into five different passageways.

"I don't like this." One of the guards said as both pointed their weapons back and forth as they scanned the room. Nothing happened for a moment, but the door suddenly slid shut without warning behind them.

"Hey!" The other guard shouted before the door closed completely, locking both out of the room with the precious cargo.

The alarms fell silent, but the lights continued flashing. Inside the room with the suspended microchip, a figure materialized in front of it. It wore a skintight black outfit with a large red X emblazoned over the heart; the low end of the upward stroke was extended to cross the chest. Long black cape, gray belt and gloves, the latter with X's on the backs of the hands. A black mask whose face resembled a white skull, with another red X on the forehead; its upstroke extended, like the one on the chest, to cross the right eye.

The newcomer plucked the chip from the field. Once doing so, an explosion erupted from the door. The new thief turned to face the destruction and saw the two guards running in. "He's got the chip!" One of the guards yelled as both opened fire on the intruder. In a quick motion, the masked thief leapt into the air and disappeared into the shadows.

"Where'd he go?" The other guard asked as they stared in complete astonishment at the shadows.

0-0

It was a clear night where the full moon shined brightly over Jump City. On the rooftops, five of the six Titans were gathered as a small ringtone was heard. Cyborg extended his forearm and on it, a panel appeared to reveal Robin's face.

"_I'm working a Slade lead on the far side of town. Sure you guys can handle this without me?_" The masked Titan asked through the small screen.

"No problem." The metallic man replied reassuringly. With a nod from Robin, the connection cut off. On the far edge of the roof, a skylight opened and the skull-faced thief climbed out. "You working for Slade, tough guy?" Cyborg questioned as he broke out his cannon.

"Red X works alone." The figure stated. The voice revealed the thief to be male, but it was _heavily_ distorted. He held out one palm, revealing the same mark on it, and fired a red X toward the five Titans.

Cyborg brought his cannon into play as the other four scattered; the two shots annihilated each other in midair. More cannon blasts sent the, self-named, Red X jumping all over the roof. Launching himself high into the air, he fired X's from both palms that forced the big guy to run for cover.

Beast Boy took his cybernetic comrades place in the battle as he leapt into the air and transformed into a charging lion mid front flip. The villain fired off another scarlet cross that became liquid as it flew; connecting with the green felines' face like a glob of mud, it carried him back down to the roof. When he landed, he was unable to pull free of the gluey mess. Lion, human, gorilla, hawk, elephant-none of those forms were strong enough to allow him to break loose. As a result, the shape-shifting Titan was taken out of the fight.

Starfire and Raven flew in; the former reeling off starbolts while the latter prepared a spell. Rex X nimbly avoided both shots of neon energy and a large black hand that emerged at his feet and tried to grab him. Two big X's were hurled at the girls as he flew through the air. One of them connected and tied itself around the orange alien like a giant rubber band, dropping her out of the sky.

"Azarath Met-Mmmph!" The mage began but was cut off when the other X pasted itself across her mouth. Try as she might, she could not tear it away and fell to the roof.

As the victorious villain began his escape, a yell from Cyborg caught his attention. He turned around to see the hulking Titan try and seize him, only to sidestep easily out of the way.

"Huh?" The titanium Titan uttered as he tried punching the thief, only for that to yield the same results. "What?" He felt the villain slap something on his back. On his back, a panel opened up and those gray-gloved hands of the thief reached in and tinkered with the circuits. "Hey! Yo, who told you how to shut me down?" Cyborg cried out as his arms flailed about wildly. After a few moments, the massive teen slumped over on his feet while a little push from Red X sent him crashing down.

Just as he was ready to bug out, a couple of purplish-black orbs of energy exploded at his feet, cloaking him in a cloud of smoke. Next thing he knew, a purplish-black fist hit him clean across the face, sending him tumbling. He landed in a crouch as he slid across the roof. When he stopped, he saw the one who had punched him.

Kylar was standing in front of him; both arms enveloped in his trademark power, "Any last words?" The brunette asked as he cracked his knuckles.

"Big mistake." Red X replied before jumping into the air and hurling two more X's from his palms. His adversary easily finessed his way around the oncoming projectiles and charged the masked thief.

He led with a feint, pulling his right arm back to punch. Once he saw what side Red X dodged to, Kylar then followed with a sweep to the legs, knocking the villain into the air. As the scarlet letter spun through the air, the black-jacketed Titan followed up by grabbing one of the thief's legs and throwing him over his shoulder.

As the two continued their melee, Beast Boy and Cyborg watched, as they could do nothing to help their friend, "Are you guys seeing what I'm seeing?" The glued Titan asked.

Catching himself in midair, Red X performed a few backflips away from the brunette. Small X's were placed on the roof where his hands touched as he continued his finesse. Kylar gave chase, not knowing the X's were there, which is exactly what the thief wanted. As soon as the pursuing aura manipulator flew over the traps, the crimson villain clapped his hands together. This resulted in the X's detonating underneath the brunette, sending him flying over the villain and down into an alleyway, out of sight.

The victorious thief gazed at the Titan as he fell into the alley before leaping across the rooftops and disappearing into the shadows. Kylar soon floated back onto the roof, but stumbled when he landed, the force of the impact seemed to have dealt some damage. He looked around for the villain, but saw that he was no longer among them, "He got away." The aura manipulator stated, disappointed in himself.

"Who was that guy?" The motionless bionic Titan asked.

"I don't know," Kylar replied, rubbing the back of his neck as he straightened his spine, "But I get the feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of him soon."

0-0

Deep inside an underground lair, perhaps well below the surface world, the image of the successful thief was visible on a giant monitor that covered a sidewall. In front of the monitor, the silhouetted figure of Slade stood on a platform and listened to what the kindred spirit had to say.

"_Rumor has it, you're interested in this._" Red X said through the monitor as he held up the red microchip for Slade to see.

"I'm interested in _many_ things, Mr. …"

"_X. Red X_." The thief answered.

"Hmmm. Catchy." The imposing, armored silhouette stated, "So, are you proposing a sale or a gift?"

"_A partnership._" Red X stated, "_I give you the chip, you cut me in on your plans_."

"Partnership. My, my, we _are_ ambitious." Slade said in a playful, or as playful as his voice could sound, tone. "But an alliance cannot be forged from one small chip." He continued, "If you're going to win my trust, I'll require more."

After a brief moment of silence, the master thief spoke up, "_Just tell me what you want_."

0-0

After a hard night of fighting and much needed sleep, the Titans returned home and were recuperating from the damage they had received from the scarlet thief the following morning.

"I had no idea Red X would pose such a threat." The masked leader of the Titans said in an apologetic tone, "I should have been there."

They were all situated in the Ops Center. In the kitchen, Starfire was seated on the counter as she clipped the red gunk out of a very annoyed Beast Boy's hair.

"You _bet_ you should've been there. Look what he did to my 'do!" The distraught greenling cried as he pointed to his head, "I'm looking at two months of bad hair days!" As he spoke, a thundercloud floated briefly above his head before vanishing.

"Mmm Mmph!" Raven shouted, gagged by a big red X that was plastered across her mouth, as she glared at the complaining Titan.

Beast Boy and Starfire merely smiled cautiously at the angered mage. "I don't know, Raven. That's kind of a good look for you." The sticky-haired boy said.

The comment caused a throbbing vein to pop out on her forehead, speaking more clearly about her supreme vexation than her tongue could. She then noticed a hand reach over and grab a corner of the X. "I apologize in advance." Kylar said as the shape-shifter and Tamaranean braced for the inevitable. With one quick jerk, the brunette ripped the gag away from the cloaked girls' mouth.

The two onlookers screamed in sympathetic pain as they saw that a vivid red imprint had been left on the mages' face. She pressed her lips together as two ghostly images of her popped out on either side of her head and screamed through gritted teeth.

"Ow." Raven said flatly as the imprint and ghostly images disappeared, "Even if you had been there, it wouldn't have made any difference." She stated as she placed a hand on her chin.

"Dude knew exactly how to bring each of us down." Cyborg added, "I guarantee he had a gadget with your name on it."

"Agreed. You need not feel guilt." Starfire said reassuringly in her trademark cheerful tone, "We are undamaged."

"Hel-_lo_?" The Titan whose hair she was currently cutting cried out as he indicated his mangled head.

"Like she said, undamaged." Kylar repeated as he tossed the red X he had in his hand in the trash. Beast Boy pouted at his words. "Besides, Sparrow, you _were_ with us." This statement earned the brunette a confused or surprised look from his comrades. "Spiritually, I mean. Since we're a team, we're always with each other." He explained; everyone nodded in agreement when he said that. "Anyway, how did that lead turn out?"

"Oh yes! We are all eager to learn what you have discovered about Slade." The Tamaranean barber said gleefully.

"Nothing. It was a dead end." Robin responded, disappointment apparent in his voice. "I should get back to work." He then turned away from his friends and headed out of the Ops Center. Nothing but the sound of the door sliding open and close accompanied him as the other five Titans watched him leave.

0-0

Much later that night, when the Titans were soundly asleep, a distress call was sent to wake them. Robin, who had made himself scarce the entire day, was the one who called for the others.

The door that led to inside the Ops Center opened to admit the five as they rushed in to find what was wrong. "Okay, Robin, what's the…" Cyborg trailed off as they stopped and looked around the room.

"Robin?" The auburn-haired alien called out. From what they could see, everything was perfectly fine: no Robin, no villains, no nothing. Actually, the only thing that could be considered out of place was a few dirty dishes that were placed in the sink. "Robin?" Starfire called out again as the gathered team members walked slowly toward the couch.

"You mean Captain Research?" Beast Boy gibed as he yawned expansively, his hair had returned to normal after six showers, "Ah, he's probably filling out note cards at the public library."

"_I was_." The voice of Captain Research rang throughout the room through the speakers. Those two words startled the daylights and a short scream out of the sleepy green teen. The other four, who weren't startled, looked to the window screen and saw Robins' face projected on it, "_But then I spotted Red X pulling a robbery in the tech sector. I'm on it. Get here as soon as you can!_"

"You got it, dude." The changeling uttered sleepily as drool fell from the side of his mouth. He was in such a state of exhaustion, he dozed off while their leader was speaking, "We'll be there any…" He trailed off as he fell asleep while standing. After a few snores, Cyborg reached down and grabbed a fistful of clothing before yanking his shorter friend with the rest of the team as they departed.

0-0

On the streets of Jump City in the tech sector, the leaderless team was gathered and standing at the ready. But instead of finding the villain they were after, they found nothing waiting for them.

"There!" The bulky bionic Titan yelled as he pointed down the street. Looking at a nearby building, the teens saw Red X jump down from a roof with Robin in hot pursuit. After a few dozen yards, the black-clad thief stopped and threw a net back at the chaser. It ensnared him and sent him rolling across the pavement, stopping where he came down from the roof. "Robin!" Cyborg called out.

"I'm fine! Get X! Go!" The trapped hero ordered as he pointed in the direction of the escaping villain. With a nod, the other five set off.

0-0

The chase led the team underground, into a subway station. All seemed too quiet for the Titans liking as they scanned the area for their target. "I've adjusted my ocular implant to scan at multiple sub-harmonics in the EM spectrum." The metallic teen stated as he continued his search.

"'Kay…" Beast Boy trailed off, confused at what his teammate just said, "…do you come with subtitles?"

"My eye should spot him even if he's invisible." The genius bruiser simplified as he pointed to his red eye. From his perspective, there was no activity on the tracks or the platform, at least none that he could see. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the skull-masked thief dropped into his line of sight and decked the unsuspecting Titan.

Cyborg was driven back several yards before falling onto his back as he skidded down to the far end of the subway station. "It's him." Raven stated as their bulky teammate slid past the four other Titans.

When he stopped sliding, the titanium teen stood up and rubbed the back of his head. He was still woozy from the attack and was in no condition to retaliate against the X that appeared in midair and flew toward his back. Sparks flew from the bionic Titan as the black-clad thief jumped behind him, appearing from thin air as his cloaking device wore off, yet Cyborg remained in full control of his body this time. The result caused Red X to back away, completely surprised by the upgrade. "You gonna have to learn some new tricks, dog." He taunted as he grabbed a fist full of material covering the chest of his target and threw the villain along the platform toward the others.

"Surrender! We do not wish to fight you!" The orange-skinned alien pleaded as the thief landed in a crouch between the remaining teens.

"Sorry. I'm not through with you yet." Red X stated as he leapt high into the air and hurled an X at her. At the last second, a black energy barrier, created by Raven, stopped it before it could connect with her face.

Now, Cyborg was on the skull-faced figure, coming up behind him and swinging a few punches in an attempt to hit the thief. These punches proved to be ineffective as Red X weaved his way between each jab. The Tamaranean flew in for a low-altitude bulldoze, but missed her mark and plowed into the bigger Titan, sending both to the ground.

Kylar then tried his hand at attacking the caped villain by throwing arcs of purplish-black energy from his hands. Of course, the thief found these to be easily avoidable and met the brunette with a right jab. He quickly found that the punch was useless as Kylar blocked it easily with his left hand and punched back with his right, which Red X caught with his free hand. The two were locked in a standstill for but a brief moment before the aura manipulator cocked his head back and swung it forward, meeting the forehead of the white skull with enough force to knock the thief back. He then flew at the villain at full force, but before he could get to him, Red X performed a back handspring, bringing both his feet up and clocking the black-jacketed teen under his chin. The hit sent Kylar upwards where he struck the ceiling before falling to the ground… hard.

Following the attack, the mysterious thief nimbly made his way between Raven and Beast Boy as they tried attacking him. Dodging waves of black magic from the mage, Red X twirled his way around a large green bear that brought down a giant green paw in an effort to hit him and kicked it in the chest, knocking the ursine away. With the momentum of the kick, the thief flew back and struck the cloaked teen as well, sending her crashing into a stack of crates. The changeling wasn't going to let his friend get hit without a response and rammed into their opponent from behind as a bighorn sheep.

Beast Boy quickly resumed human form again and charged the thief for a follow-up attack. However, the foe caught hold of a pole and swung his weight around it, launching himself feet first back the way he came. His trajectory forced the green Titan to duck, having Red X land behind him. To the shape-shifters' surprise, the thief quickly whirled around and threw a punch that connected with the Titans' jaw, sending him crashing against the opposite edge of the tracks where he bounced off and fell onto the rails.

Sitting up dazedly, Beast Boy snapped back fully when the glare of headlights fell across his face and a train whistle made itself heard. He stared like a deer about to snuff it on the grille of a pickup as the underground locomotive made its' approach. At the last possible moment, Red X hurtled across the tracks and pulled the green teen screaming to safety as both landed on the platform an instant before the train hustled through.

Beast Boy and Red X stood up and looked at the train, "Dude! Did you just save me?" The Titan asked in complete astonishment. Rather than an answer in words, his reply was a swift kick in the gut from the villain of honor.

Red X then ran for the exit stairs. But before he could reach them, Kylar dove from the shadows and tackled the black-clad figure to the ground. They struggled for a bit before the thief kicked him off. Landing in a crouch, the brunette leapt into the air and brought his right fist down. Red X jumped to the side, dodging the attack that slammed into the ground, and tried to hit the Titan with a jump kick. Kylar quickly recovered from his missed attack and caught the thief's leg and threw him over his shoulder. The black-clad villain also landed in a crouch, but had no time to breath as his adversary was on him again with a flurry of jabs and kicks, which caused him to bob and weave quickly. Barely keeping up with his pace, Red X caught the brunettes' fists and kicked him away, sending the Titan skidding down the walkway. He then tried turning the tables on the Titan by giving him a taste of his own tactic, but found it to be useless as Kylar easily kept up with his tempo. Red X then tried for a roundhouse kick, only for that to be caught by the black-jacketed teens' left hand, leaving him vulnerable for an open palm strike that sent him tumbling across the ground.

This was no time for fooling around, the thief was on a tight schedule and his foe was getting in his way. In one final attempt to fend off his attacker, Red X charged at the aura manipulator. With a vicious smile, Kylar ran toward his opponent as well, forming his purplish-black energy around his arms. As they got closer, the thief brought his right palm up and formed a red X in it while the brunette formed an orb of energy in his own right palm.

The train finally passed and the remaining three Titans crossed the tracks to get to the other side. The group formed around the downed Titan. "Beast Boy! You are undamaged?" Starfire asked as she helped her fallen friend off the ground.

"Look!" Beast Boy cried as he pointed at the scuffle. The other three observed just in time to see the two fighters bring their respective palms to each other's faces. Once the two connected, explosions of red and purplish-black sent both of them flying away from each other. Kylar crashed through a stack of crates while Red X collided with a pillar.

"Kylar!" The four Titans cried out.

The thief was the first to recover from the attack. He sat up in a daze as he brought his hand to his face. His mask now had a crack that extended the x so that it also crossed over his left eye to accompany the red slash over his right. He shook himself awake and quickly rushed to the stairs, escaping from the team before they could catch him.

The five heroes ran over to their fallen comrade and gathered around him. He had swirls in his eyes as he lied in the broken wood of the crates. "Are you all right?" Raven asked as she helped him up.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Kylar coughed as he stood up, shaking his head to remove the dizziness.

"Who was that guy?" Beast Boy asked, looking at the stairs the thief ran up.

0-0

"_Impressive, Red X_." Slade's voice complimented through a computer screen. Red X was sitting at a desk where a pool of light shined in a void as black as the night sky. On the monitor the thief was looking through, Slade's silhouette stood. "_I tapped into the security cameras to catch your performance. You treated the Titans to quite a show_." He continued saying.

"Glad you enjoyed it." The black-clad figure returned.

"_However, it appears the one with the black flames gave you some trouble_." The foreboding villain stated, motioning to the large crack that ran across Red X's mask.

"Everything went according to plan." The thief responded. He then pulled out the two microchips from beneath his cape and held them up to the screen. "Is the audition over?"

"_Patience. Trust is easy to destroy, but it takes time to build_." Slade's smooth, yet chilling voice said. His image on the screen shrank toward the top right corner, giving way to a pure white field. Inside, a green microchip revealed itself to the thief. "_One last test. Prove yourself and… we'll meet to discuss your future_." On the last word, the villain faded away, leaving only the bit of hardware on the display.

"Good." Red X growled as he turned around and pulled off his mask. When it was finally free from his face, none other than _Robin_ (big surprise) was there. "It's about time we met _face to face_."

0-0

"One last test. Prove yourself and… we'll meet to discuss your future." Slade spoke before cutting the line between him and the crimson slash. After the screen shut off, nothing but the dimly lit lights of his underground lair accompanied the intimidating man. "Ravager." He called out.

"Yes, Father." A shorter and thinner armored female came up behind him and kneeled as a sign of respect.

"I believe it's time to pay the good doctor a visit again." Slade stated without turning around to face the girl.

Without saying anything, Ravager stood up and walked away from the Titans' arch-enemy, the sound of clanking metal echoing through the dark chamber with each of her steps.

0-0

Later that same night, Cyborg, Raven, Kylar, Starfire, and Beast Boy were gathered in the Ops Center looking at the window screen. On it, a large computer map of Jump City was superimposed with two green dots marked. Raven was standing at one of the consoles while Kylar stood behind her.

"Okay. That's where Red X has been." The bionic teen said, pointing to the two dots on the screen, "Now we just have to figure out where he's gonna strike next." The mage did a little typing on the keyboard; in response, many more spots on the map lit up, culminating to a total of 23 extra locations.

"Great." The changeling sighed wearily. The sound of footsteps was heard from behind the five as Robin moved across the room, carrying a box with him.

"Robin!" Starfire cheered, "Wonderful! Our efforts to locate the Red X will benefit greatly from your help." She added as she moved toward the masked teen.

"It'll have to wait." Said Titan answered as he headed to a side door, "I'm close to a breakthrough with Slade."

"More wonderful!" The girl gasped happily, "Perhaps we could be of assistance to…" She trailed off briefly as Robins' back retreated into the dark hall, "…you." Starfire finished as she hung her head dejectedly.

"Let him go. Not like he's been much help lately anyway." Beast Boy stated angrily, "If Robin wasn't always A.W.O.L., X would be K.O.'d by now." He said as he socked his right fist into his left palm.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but Beast Boy's right." Raven added.

"Y'all think maybe Robin's losing his grip?" Cyborg asked worriedly as he rubbed the side of his head.

"I'm thinking he's got too _tight_ of a grip on Slade." Kylar sighed as he closed his eyes.

"No! Robin's grip is not tight!" The auburn-haired Titan cried in defense of their leader, "He works harder than any of you! He works to catch Slade before something terrible happens!" The boys she was speaking to had their arms folded across their chests while Raven looked at the girl with worrisome eyes. "He works to save us all!"

"Yeah. That's why every time we need him, he disappears." The green Titan retorted. The charge struck a chord because Starfire had no ready answer for her friend. She quickly turned away and headed down the hall to chase after Robin.

Kylar still had his eyes closed as he brought his right hand up to rub his chin. "Something on your mind?" He snapped his eyes open and saw Raven in front of him.

He looked down at the floor for a moment, "It's nothing… just…" He looked at her and gave her a warm smile, "I was wondering what kind of tea I was gonna drink. Want any?" He said before walking toward the kitchen. Raven didn't respond, only watched with concern as her teammate walked away from her.

0-0

'_Who's Slade... You almost got hurt. Next time it could be worse… Nothing. Lead was a dead end… I'm close to a breakthrough… Sure you guys can handle this without me?_'

Robins' words echoed in Starfires' mind as she walked through the door to his room. Inside, a single overhead light still shined on a loaded desk as she proceeded in and looked at the newspaper-covered walls. She stopped at the desk and looked at the items; she picked up the blasted birdarang from the sewer chase from a few days ago.

"Robin, where have you gone?" The girl sighed sadly before a flash from the desk caused her to drop the weapon with a gasp. The damaged projectile grazed a small metal globe on the corner of the desk and knocked it over the edge.

The thing bounced a couple of times and rolled slowly to a stop near the wall. A beam of light shot straight up from it and split into two that folded down toward the floor on either side. Between them, a holographic image of Robin appeared-caught up in the net as during the Titans' second pursuit of Red X.

"I'm fine! Get X! Go!" The hologram ordered as it flickered a bit.

Starfire was completely confused at the sight before her, "Huh? Robin?" She asked as she approached the image.

"I'm fine! Get X! Go!" Robins' hologram repeated. The Tamaranean reached her hand out to touch the Boy Wonder, only to have it phase through the image, "I'm fine! Get X! Go!"

"If you were not really there, then where were…" Slowly but surely, Starfire pieced together the events that transpired the past few days: Robin disappearing, Red X knowing how to defeat the team their first fight, Robin having a hologram of himself, Red X saving Beast Boy from the train… "_***GASP***_" The truth had finally dawned on her as she gasped sharply. To make matters worse, the alarms in the Tower went off.

0-0

In a protective field of its' own, a green microchip floated peacefully in a dimly lit chamber in a heavily guarded tech building of Jump City. As it floated, Red X approached the piece of technology and plucked it out of the air, the crack across his mask having been repaired.

"Excellent work." The thief heard a chilling voice say behind him. He turned around to see a pool of light cast down from one overhead lamp with a figure approaching it from the far side. The details of the figure were momentarily washed out, but as it stepped to the center of the circle, Red X finally got a fully detailed view of his employer; Slade. The man was garbed in the same manner as his commando robots-black armor, steel reinforcements, and hand and footgear-but with two differences. One, a dark gray sash crossed his chest from his right shoulder to his left side; two, his mask was red-orange on the left side and black on the right, with no eyehole on the black half. "Honestly, I couldn't have done better myself." He complimented.

"So, do we have a deal?" The black-clad thief asked.

"Indeed." Slade confirmed, "You and I are _so_ much alike. It seems only natural that we should be partners." He added while he held out his left hand, ready to accept his payment for the partnership.

Red X held up the three microchips as he spoke. "What are they for?" He questioned, "I need to know what we're planning… partner."

"Patience. You can't expect me to trust you with such sensitive information right away…" The armored villain said, "…Can you… Robin?"

The skull-faced thief's eyes popped at the realization that his cover had been blown. In a flash of light, a small net flew from behind the failed spy, swept the three components from his hand, and carried them to the one-eyed mercenary. Once they were safely in his grasp, the lights came up to reveal the room as a large, oblong chamber with several robots standing around the perimeter. These robots were the white-black trimmed robots from the highlight reel the HIVE agents fought. In addition, there was also a balcony that was packed with ranks of Slade's commando robots.

From one direction after another, the mechanical enforcers advanced slightly, as Red X got ready to throw down. While the robots on either side of the villain started to advance, the entire room shook with the force of an explosion. Everyone looked to its source and saw the ceiling had been blown out as shadows started to appear in the smoke.

"Titans! GO!" The voice of the metallic bruiser yelled from within. Following the command, Beast Boy, Raven, Kylar, and finally Cyborg jumped into the chamber.

As Red X sprinted across the room, Beast Boy came down on one of the white robots as an octopus and yanked it to the floor, while Raven levitated a second one and forced it against a wall. Kylar formed his aura around his arms and threw arcs of energy that cut up a third robot into pieces. When he hit the ground, Cyborgs' main focus was getting a hand on the black cape of the thief.

"Gotcha!" The bionic Titan shouted when he finally grabbed hold of the villain that gave them so much trouble. As Cyborg pulled Red X closer and pinned his arms behind his back, Slade turned around and ran out of the chamber.

"Let go! Stop him!" The black-clad figure cried as he struggled to get free. Kylar jumped in front of him and placed his left hand on the mask, ready to remove it.

As the thief continued offering resistance, Starfire flew in through the ceiling hole, "No! Release him!" She cried when she saw what her two friends were doing, "He is…"

"Me!" Robin yelled once the mask had been removed from his face. The revelation caught the other Titans, sans Kylar, completely flat-footed as they made noises of surprise for a moment while giant red question marks formed over their heads. The aura manipulator only shot their masked leader a bored stare.

The shock was enough for the titanium teen to loosen his grip, giving the Boy Wonder the opportunity to escape and run for the door. "Slade's getting away! Come on!"

A huge leap carried him over the two robots flanking the door, but they just stared after him as he made his way down the corridor the leading villain ran through. Before the other four could do the same, several commandos jumped down from the balcony and surrounded them. Raven, Kylar, Beast Boy, and Cyborg readied themselves as the robots closed the distance between them.

0-0

Away from the action, on the rooftop of the building, a vet cap popped off and Slade leapt out as if launched from a cannon. Robin soon followed after, now having ditched the Red X outfit in favor of his own. He chased the orange and black masked commando from one rooftop to the next and matched the criminal on every leap across a space between buildings.

As they ran, Robin threw a birdarang to strike the villain, but a quick backhand from Slade shattered the projectile before it could hit. The Titan stared down at the pieces as his nemesis ran to the edge and performed an impossible flying leap toward a distant rooftop that had a framework of support beams erected on it, along with a red glow that shined over the area from a huge electric billboard.

Slade stopped for a look back and saw Robin standing on the high, far plateau. The Boy Wonder took a few steps back and charged into a headlong rush before vaulting into the elevated emptiness and began to drop toward the pool of red light. He hit the ground rolling before coming up in a crouch to face the mercenary.

"Careful. I wouldn't want you getting hurt." The villain said, feigning worry in his voice.

"I'm not the one who's going to get hurt." Robin returned with a scowl, "Now hand them over!"

"Robin. I thought we had a deal." Slade stated as he and the young Titan circled each other.

"Sorry. I have a strict rule against giving stolen technology to psychos."

"How very noble of you. But stealing in order to trap me? That wasn't so noble." His nemesis alleged, "Two wrongs don't make a-"

"Don't _ever_ lecture me!" Robin snapped back, "Whatever you're planning, Slade, it's over!"

"Oh, on the contrary, Robin. It's just begun." The commando returned before the two charged at one another.

Silhouetted in the harsh glow form the billboard, they tried a few times to hit each other. Backing up a bit, Slade dodged a couple of Robins' strikes; another silhouette view showed him avoiding more blows and then landing a kick that tumbled the Boy Wonder several yards, almost to the edge. The teen got on his feel and went on the offensive, forcing the villain to back around a corner while dodging a kick.

Now, the battle had shifted to within the framework as Slade continued the defensive and avoided more and more of Robins' punches. He then found his opening and struck the Titan with another kick, sending him tumbling further into the framework. Robin quickly recovered from the hit and charged the mercenary again. Back and forth they went, neither connecting with the other until a green fist was caught in a steel one. That big armored left elbow drove its' way into the spiky-haired Titans' solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him. Before he could catch his breath, Slade flung the teen toward the edge of the rooftop. He stumbled against a couple of crates and fell over the edge with a short scream.

On the side of the framework, hundreds of feet above speeding traffic, Robin held onto the ledge for dear life. Unfortunately for the young man, the masonry started to crumble before giving way to his weight. The leader of the Titans released a scream as he began falling toward the street, likely to meet his end. But before he fell too far, a steel covered hand reached down and seized his wrist.

Robin looked up and saw the masked face of his opponent staring intently down at him. "You… saved me?" He asked in complete confusion.

"I'm not through with you." The man returned as he hauled the Boy Wonder back up and tossed him easily toward the framework.

The youth landed on one of the upper beams and hurled himself back downward to start the brawl anew. Once again, both parties threw themselves at each other in an attempt to inflict damage. This time, Robin landed a flying straight punch that sent Slade and the three microchips careening away. The latter landed in a pile, while the former slid to the edge.

The next thing the commando knew was Robin standing over him and reaching for his mask. "This ends now!" The masked Titan growled as he pulled the mask off the man's face.

The entire front half came off, just like that of the commando robot he tried to interrogate after the first heist; revealing this Slade to be merely a mechanical double. Inside the head was a monitor that showed the genuine evil mastermind safely in his lair.

"_Patience, Robin. We'll meet face to face some other time_." The masked villain said from behind the screen, "_Oh, and speaking of time_…" Slade trailed off before a large number **5** superimposed itself on the view, then counting down to **4**, and then **3**…

Realizing what was about to happen, Robin put his feet into overdrive and sprinted to the edge of the building. The counter continued its countdown at **2**, and then dropped to **1**. Once the teen was safely clear of the blast zone, he heard a long beep, presumably marking the **0**, before a massive explosion roared from the rooftop.

Robin stared morosely at the explosion as the other Titans gathered at a distance behind him. "Heh. At least he didn't get the chips." Beast Boy joked, trying to lighten an incredibly tense mood.

0-0

Later that same night, after returning the stolen chips, Robin was standing next to one of the walls, staring at the Slade robot's mask that he hung on it. He heard his door slide open to admit Starfire. "You want to yell at me too? Everyone else has." The boy said, without turning, as he pulled the mask from the wall, "And I don't blame them."

"I do not wish to yell, merely to understand." The saddened Tamaranean said. "Robin, why did you not tell us the truth?"

"I needed to fool Slade. If you guys knew it was me under that mask, you would've held back." The Titan leader sighed, "Doesn't matter anyway. Slade figured it out, and I still haven't figured out anything about him."

"That is not true. Whoever Slade is, you and he are similar." Starfire stated as she gave her friend a reproachful look, "Slade did not trust you, and you did not trust us." She added before turned to leave the room. Her footsteps echoed hollowly in the space as she left, followed by the sound of the door as it slid close.

Robin continued gazing at the mask in his hand for a long moment, "She's right, you know." He heard a voice come from behind him. He turned around and saw Kylar come from the shadows that covered his room. "But I wonder how your undercover job would've panned out if Slade _didn't_ blow your cover."

Robin thought for a moment before speaking, "I was-"

"Shut up." Kylar cut his leader off, certain harshness was very apparent in his tone of voice. "Listen close, _Sparrow_. You came to us to form this team; we didn't come to you; that means none of this lone wolf stuff you tried to pull. And I don't what sort of poor excuse you had for doing it." He didn't raise his voice, but the anger was there. "If you can't trust us enough to let us in on your plans, how can we trust you enough to follow you as a leader?" These words carried a sharp sting as Robin just stood there with no response. The brunette stared at his shorter teammate briefly before turning to the door, "I wanted to be wrong when I thought it was you… You need to think long and hard about how important this team is to you. When you find your answer, _then_ come and talk to me."

On his last word, the door opened and closed, leaving the Boy Wonder alone in the darkness again, hanging his head sadly as he thought about what Kylar said to him.

"You guys mean everything to me."

* * *

_**Trust is the glue of life. It's the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It's the foundational principle that holds all relationships.**_

_**-Stephen Covey**_

**Author's Note:  
**

**And it's over! Thank you for joining me again for another chapter. If you enjoyed it, great! I accomplished what I set out to do. If you hated it, great! I accomplished what I set out to do.**

**I hope that confrontation between Kylar and Robin was okay. That was probably the second time I wrote a scene with just the two of them and I wanted it to sound impactful. The only other time I had them together was before they officially became a team. Hopefully it works out okay.**

**Remember to leave a review if you want to. Favorite and follow the story if you want for updates on the chapters, and some other things.**

**Uh, yeah, everyone enjoy themselves, have a wonderful day, some other generic thank you farewell, and I'll see you next chapter.**

**So until that time, See You Space Cowboys.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the DC Universe, nor do I own anything from Teen Titans. Any other references made belong to their respective owners, again I own nothing.**


	12. Mad Mod

**Author's Note:**

**If there is a word to describe how happy I am to have this chapter done, please let me know because it was so confusing to finish. **

**Enough complaining. Hello my beautiful people, it is I, _D-A-X_, lord and ruler of all I survey. Coming to you again with another chapter here. To those who are just joining us on this journey, welcome. I am glad to have you with us. I apologize for the late release of the chapter, I've been busy, please forgive me.**

**To everyone else, enjoy the chapter, and remember to write a review if you want. If you have any questions or suggestions, PM me, I'm always happy to hear your thoughts.**

**Now that that's out of the way, let's go!**

* * *

"_***GASP***_" Robin snapped his eyes open with a huge gasp as he sat up against a polished wood chair. He looked around to survey the area: The place was a large, partially lit atrium with several balconies running around the walls, as well as paintings lining the walls. He looked at the floor and noticed it was tiled in a black and white checkerboard pattern. He then looked at his wrists and saw them securely bound to the armrests of his chair while his ankles were bound to the front legs. He applied force to the restraints, but couldn't break free.

As he struggled, the lights of the room came on fully to show one Titan after another also clamped into chairs. They were all half-conscious, but came around with assorted groans, each having an additional binding: red energy rings around Starfire's wrists, steel straps over Cyborg's chest, a white energy band encircling Raven's, a giant rubber band on Beast Boy's, and yellow energy rings around Kylar's as well as a metal collar around his neck.

"What?" The bionic Titan questioned when he came to, noticing the large metal bands that kept him in place.

"Huh? Am I the only one who has no idea where we are?" The green teen asked as he looked around the large room.

"Why, you're right where you belong, my duckies." A male voice, with a heavy Cockney accent, called out. The six bound teens looked to the source of the voice and saw a man standing at an open set of double doors on a balcony atop a long staircase. The man was standing in front of a light that obscured his details, but they were able to discern a cane in one hand. "You're in school!" Their captor cheered as he leapt onto the banister of the nearby staircase and slid down it. Once he landed in front of the team, every detail about him was revealed.

The man was in his early forties, and had red hair in a Beatle cut with mutton chop sideburns, small rectangular sunglasses, a sport coat with the design of the British Union Jack flag, black shirt, white kerchief tied at the neck, white pants, and brown shoes with black socks. The cane he held was topped with a large ruby. "That's right, lads and loveys. You're the only students at Mad Mod's Institute for Bratty Teenage Do-Gooders." The British man, apparently known as Mad Mod, explained before tossing the cane high from his left hand and catching it with his right. "And it's high time someone taught you sprogs a lesson."

On his last words, white light flared from the ruby as he held out the cane in front of the bound teens.

"Uh-oh." Beast Boy groaned as the crazy Englishman strolled leisurely toward them.

"Titans! Move!" The Boy Wonder shouted as he tried to break free of his binds. Try as they might, but the other five were unable to do so. Beast Boy even cycled through lizard and cobra forms in an attempt to escape.

Their evil captor pranced around at the foot of the stairs while he twirled his cane, apparently finding their attempts at escaping rather amusing. "My starbolts are useless!" Starfire cried, as she could not form her energy around her hands.

"Specially designed chairs, love." Mad Mod said as he leaned into her face, "Can't have those nasty superpowers disrupting my lecture now, can I?"

"Get away from her!" Robin growled.

The bizarre Brit straightened up, glanced over at the spiky-haired Titan, and then shoved the cane into his face. Its ruby flared up anew, more intensely, causing the poor kid to recoil into his chair.

"Now don't get your knickers in a twist, my little snot." The mutton chopped man chuckled as he backed off and paced in front of the other teens; "I didn't go to all the trouble of building this school and filling your Tower with knockout gas just to finish you off lickety-split."

"Then what _do_ you want?" Raven asked angrily.

"Just what I said, dearie." The Brit said as he leaned closer to her, "To teach you lot a lesson!" He added as he turned away and scratched his rear, much to everyone's chagrin, "Yes, I've been watching you children misbehave. And I _hate_ misbehaving children." He heard laughter coming from the right end of the row, "Is something funny, lad?" He asked as he walked over to Kylar.

"Yeah. You." The brunette chuckled, "Who're you supposed to be, Murdoc or Ringo?" Mad Mod scowled at the teen before pressing the top of the ruby on the cane with his thumb. "Grk!" Kylar grunted as the collar around his neck crackled with electricity as the shock coursed through his body.

"Disrupting teachers' lecture will be answered with discipline." The Cockney teacher affirmed as he pressed the top of the ruby again, stopping the brunettes' punishment.

"Yeah…" Kylar coughed out a black puff of smoke, "Definitely Ringo."

"Now where was I before I was so _rudely_ interrupted?" Mad Mod rubbed his chin before snapping his fingers, "Ah, yes!" He pointed the cane off to his right. The six bound Titans looked over to the wall he pointed to and saw a picture of the teacher, done in the style of Andy Warhol. It turned around and showed Cyborg and Raven beating on Thunder and Lightning, "Fighting crime." The Brit stated as another such painting swiveled around and showed Robin and Starfire cradling kittens they rescued from a blazing fire behind them, "Saving lives." One final painting flipped over to show Beast Boy as a green dog pulling down Plasmus' shorts with Kylar floating above him in a post-throwing pose and a pie having splattered against the back of the muck monsters' head. "Interfering with the plans of hardworking villains. Why, you lot are nothing but a bunch of _troublemakers_!"

The mad Brit pointed his cane around at each of the teens who, in turn, reacted with varied expressions of fury, "But you'll learn your place soon enough." He taunted as he pulled his cane back away from the Titans faces, "You see, I'm older than you, so I'm _bigger_, _badder_, and _better_."

"Say wh-" _**–clang-**_ "OW!" Cyborg cried as Mad Mod bashed him on the side of the head with his cane.

"You're in my world now. And you won't be getting out 'til you've learned some proper respect." The maniacal teacher explained as he held his arms out.

"We _will_ get out." Robin threatened, "And when we do-"

_**-BRIIIIIIIIIING-**_

The ringing of a school bell cut off the spiky-haired teens threats.

"Oh, dear, there's the bell, my duckies. Off to class!" Mad Mod smirked as he gave the six troublemakers a salute.

With that, the floor tile under each chair opened like a trapdoor and dumped chair and Titan out of sight. Starting with Kylar and ending with Robin, each teen screamed as they fell into the vast unknown.

0-0

After falling through the hole in the ground, Robin made a perfect four-point landing in the middle of the floor of a new room. Shaking his head to refocus, the Boy Wonder scanned the room and noticed a large blackboard on the end wall facing him with two busts of Mad Mod flanking it while the sidewalls were left untouched.

The next thing that happened gave the masked Titan a huge shock: His captors' face was quickly drawn on the blackboard in chalk and then began speaking to him. "Now how can I teach you anything if you won't sit still and listen?" The face spoke.

A wooden hand extended from the chair's top edge and grabbed Robin's head, "Huh?" The leader let out as he tried wriggling out of its' grasp to no avail. The hand pulled the poor kid's head straight up which also forced his eyes to stay open.

"One of my hypno-screens ought to get your attention-and it'll erase everything in you brain as well." Mad Mod's face laughed as the chalk outline swirled away and formed into a pulsating pattern of concentric black and white rings.

It took everything Robin had just to resist staring at the hypnotic screen, "Can't let him hypnotize me… got to stay focused…" He strained to say. The strength of the wooden chair proved to be too much for the young Titan as it pulled his eyes open even wider. With great effort, though, he managed to tip the chair onto its side, breaking some of the wood from the right armrest.

Underneath, his wrist was held down with a metal clamp. Learning from his mentor to be prepared for every situation, Robin flicked a small lockpick out from his gloves index finger, used it to free his right arm in short order, and tore the wooden hand from the chair top. One hard throw cracked the hypno-screen wall, causing it to shut down as the images of the hypnotic trances faded from all three walls. Feeling proud about his small victory, the troublesome student set about freeing his other limbs.

"_Naughty snotty_." Mad Mod's voice rang through the room speakers, "_If you're gonna destroy school property, school property's gonna destroy you_."

Now having freed himself of the chair, Robin was crouched on the ground when he saw something very large push through the screen, "Whoa." He awed worriedly as the large object revealed itself to be an enormous missile ready to launch.

"_Right, then. Count along with Moddy_." The sadistic educator said as the two busts extended two laser muzzles from their eyes and spinning blades on jointed arms from their ears.

"_Ten… nine… eight… seven…_" As Mad Mod began his countdown, the busts moved in and fired at Robin, who rolled across the floor before hurling himself at them. "_Six… five… four… three…_" The acrobatic teen hid behind one of the busts and ducked as the other fired and blew its head off. As he pushed the remains aside, he gave the missile a good long look, and bolted to the ruined wall. "_Two… one!_" Just as the final second counted, Robin dove through another screen, tearing a hole in it to make his escape.

Behind him, the missile ignited and flew off, chasing the Boy Wonder down a tunnel decked out in a checkerboard pattern. The weapon roared behind him, entering through a trick black panel, and detonated with a blast that threw the escaping teen against the wall.

After regaining his bearings, he stood up and dusted himself off, "There goes my shot at perfect attendance." Robin quipped as he polished the _R_ emblem on his tunic.

"Don't be so sure, my little duckie." A voice caught the delinquent by surprise. He looked down the tunnel and sure enough, Mad Mod stood at the other end, having ditched his Union Jack coat for an all black coat and pants combo. "You may be out of the classroom, but class is _never_ dismissed." He taunted as he ran up the side of the wall so that he now stood upside down on the top surface. Robin ran toward the teacher and jumped up in a vain attempt to grab him just as he passed overhead. "Next lesson-physics!"

"Huh?" The masked Titan stared in complete bewilderment at the break in reality that transpired before him.

"What goes up; stays up!" Mad Mod laughed as he ran further down the tunnel.

"Until I take it down!" Robin growled as quickly followed.

Thus began the chase, first ranging through a network of staircases and arches that connected floor to floor. The room they ran through was filled with tricks of perspective and design, the checkerboard ceiling had more stairs coming down from it in a way that M. C. Escher would be proud of.

Soon after leaving the mind-bending room, the teacher and student found themselves in a room of nothing but black and white cubes. Mad Mod was running along the ceiling while Robin ran across the floor, approaching each other from opposite directions. Gravity decided to pull a prank on the young hero and performed a complete 180, reversing their positions and sending the Titan tumbling to his enemy's level with a yell and a thud as he landed in a heap on the floor. The crazy Brit simply hopped over him and ran off.

The chase quickly continued when Robin picked himself up and sprinted after the British scoundrel into a room filled with half vertical black and white stripes and half checkerboard tiling. Both parties dashed along the interface between the two regions, disappearing briefly behind each black stripe. Suddenly, the redhead doubled back and made his descent on a staircase hidden among the squares; Robin did the same thing, staying hot on his heels.

They then found themselves in an area consisting of two side-by-side sets of concentric squares. Mad Mod ran into the left set, which revealed to be a tunnel, and did a sharp turn into one of the white bands. When Robin tried to follow, he ran flat into a wall.

The confused teen backed up and rubbed his face, trying to ease the pain, "How did he-" He soon noticed the maniacal educator emerge inside the right set of squares and blow raspberries at him before running off again. Robin gave chase and found a closed wooden door. He opened it and found himself in an atrium, perhaps the one the team was in when Mad Mod first introduced himself.

A loud whistle caught the masked teens' attention. He turned to face the source of the noise and saw the crazed Englishman at the top of the long staircase in the atrium. "You may as well chuck in the sponge, laddie!" Mad Mod shouted as he twirled his cane, "You can't catch the likes of me!"

Determined to prove him wrong, Robin charged toward the stairs and leapt up the banisters. A wave of the cane, and another crazy trick of the school left the pursuing Titan helplessly pounding his way up a long down-escalator, getting absolutely nowhere fast.

Mad Mod leaned on his cane as he lazily rubbed his left index finger and thumb together in front of his face, "Now what did I tell you? Children today won't listen to their betters!" He said, seemingly disinterested in the spiky-haired teens efforts to capture him, "Have to learn everything the hard-" _**–clank-**_ "Hey, oy! No throwing things while Teacher is talking!" The Cockney crackpot shouted after getting surprised by a birdarang that ricocheted off the railing in front of him.

The miscreant then fired a grappling hook that embedded itself in the wall above the doorway as Mad Mod ran out, then reeled himself up to the landing and charged through the door. Once he got through to the next room, one eyebrow jumped in complete surprise; he came out in an atrium that looked exactly like the one he just left.

"What?!" Robin exclaimed as he stared at the large staircase in front of him, "You've gotta be kidding me!"

"NOOOO!" He heard the screams of Starfire echo from one of the side rooms.

"Starfire!" The Boy Wonder followed the screaming through a door that led him to an area with very tall library shelves, with a ladder set up to reach the topmost levels of one of them. Robin quickly climbed it and, when he got to the top, found himself gazing at a maze of shelves that stretched as far as the eye could see.

He quickly scanned the ocean of bookshelves before coming across a small room that had another hypno-screen set up among the stacks.

0-0

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Starfire cried out again as she thrashed from side to side in her chair. The room she had been placed in was set up with rows of desks with her situated in the center of the last row, along with a giant book propped up and opened that had the hypnotic images flashing in front of her. Her eyes were tightly shut, but two thin arms reached from the top of her chair. "I will not read your book of meanness and swirls!" The resisting Tamaranean yelled as the arms grabbed her head and forced her to face the front.

"_Now, now, love, it's for your own good_." Mad Mod's voice rang through the speakers, "_Nothing teaches discipline and respect like a brain-erasing trance_." She began succumbing to the trance, but quickly closed her eyes again to break contact. Her efforts were in vain, however, as the wooden fingers soon pried them back open.

"***Gasp***" She inhaled sharply as she looked toward the ceiling. A large section of tiling opened to reveal a giant rubber _OVERDUE_ stamp that darted down and stamped the floor, crushing a few desks to splinters.

"_Besides, if you won't stop squirming, I won't stop squashing__!_" The sadistic instructor shouted happily as the stamp crashed against the ground again, this time closer to the trapped girl.

Gasping in sheer terror, Starfire renewed her efforts to get out of the chair after having broken away from the two hands that held her head in place. Now the destructive librarians tool came down right in front of her, throwing bits of wood in her face. As she stared, horrified, the string of huge rubber letters positioned itself directly over her head and hurtled down. The auburn-haired alien screamed as the shadow of the rubber stamp fell over her.

At the last possible second, Robin dove across the floor and plowed her out of the way before the word _OVERDUE_ was stamped into the tiles. Once they were clear of the drop zone, Robin pulled out a tiny welding torch in his glove and attacked the energy restraints that had been neutralizing his friends' starbolts.

"Are all the schools on your planet this horrible?" The Tamaranean asked as she lied on the back of her chair. After a few moments, the restraints faded and Starfire freed herself from the chair. No rest for these two Titans, however, as a new problem came to greet them: books came off the shelves and started flapping toward them like giant bats.

"Come on!" The masked teen yelled as he yanked his teammate up off the ground. Some of the books collided with her chair and exploded, blowing it to bits as they ran toward a set of shelves. Once they reached their destination, Robin began climbing his way up while Starfire flew up along the side of the books.

More flying volumes struck the bookshelves and detonated around the fleeing teens, jarring Robin loose by the blasts and sending him falling back toward the attacking literature with a scream. Saving the doomed boy, Starfire flew down, grabbed her friends' hand, and pulled the spiky-haired Titan up the shelves.

Once at the top, they continued their escape as they leapt along the tops of the shelves, avoiding the oncoming books while Starfire shot a few of them down. The two soon made their way to a door labeled **Library-Quiet Please** and burst through. Slamming it shut, and leaning on it with their full weight, the dynamic duo was met with a final hefty explosion from the other side that nearly pushed the door open again.

After the massive blast eased, Robin strode away from the door while Starfire followed. "Robin!" She cheered as she floated behind the masked teen, "I wish to thank you for rescuing me from-"

"Don't thank me yet." The boy said as they stopped moving, "Mad Mod still has us right where he wants us. I know we could take him if we could just get our hands on him. But every time we get out of one trap…"

Four busts of the eccentric educator rolled up behind them, catching Starfires' attention. The sunglasses on one slid up the forehead and a missile popped out of the nose, spinning blades emerged from another's ears, the third's jaw opened to reveal a stun gun, and the hair of the last one rose to show a cannon inside the head.

"…there's another one waiting." Robin growled through gritted teeth, a sight gag showing his head to have grown a few sizes while a vein throbbed on his temple. His head returned to normal as he got ready for a little kung-fu action, but Starfire yanked him by the arm, leading him down a corridor as a cannon shot landed behind them.

"_Run, my duckies__!_" Mad Mod's voice rang out through more speakers as the two Titans ran through the black and white colored hallway, "_Run all you like-but you'll never get out__!_"

At the end of the hallway, Starfire and Robin reached a spiraling pattern of concentric squares that sent them tumbling toward its center down into another room. Crashing through a ceiling marked with the symbols of the chemical elements, the two found a room filled with giant beakers, test tubes filled with solutions, a giant microscope and Bunsen burner, and models of molecules.

"_It's no good procrastinating, really__._" They heard the instructors' voice speak again as they walked further into the room, "_Because sooner or later you'll both end up like him__._"

"Beast Boy!" The Boy Wonder cried as the two of them reached the end of the lab, where a few desks were set up.

At the front of the classroom, an overhead projector screen hung down from the ceiling at an angle; the hypnotic patter played across it. Once the two freed members of the team reached the chair that was front and center, they saw their shape-shifting friend sitting motionless, wearing a dunce cap, fully under the screens' spell with drool running down his chin as he babbled incoherently.

"_Ah, yeah. A model student, that one. Lovely. Sits there, quietly, never thinks about misbehaving-matter of fact, he never thinks at all__!_" Mad Mod laughed.

"Beast Boy! Awaken!" The Tamaranean waved her left hand in front of the hypnotized teens' face while Robin used his tiny torch on the restraints, "Your friends are here!" She said as she removed the dunce cap on his head. "Beast Boy?" She tried once again to snap her friend out of his trance by actually snapping her fingers, to no avail. She then glanced over to the hypno-screen and walked toward it, warming up a starbolt to destroy it.

"Wait!" Her spiky-haired teammate called out as he ran to her and grabbed her wrist, stopping her from firing, "Trust me."

Soon after, the sounds of test tubes blowing their stoppers could be heard from around the room. The two Titans scanned the room and saw all the chemicals in the place boil over, spilling colorful slop across the floor. This odd combination of fluids proved to be acidic as it began dissolving desks when it reached them.

"Here's your hall pass." The Boy Wonder said as he freed Beast Boy from the chair and handed him to Starfire. "Meet you outside."

With a nod, his otherworldly friend flew away. He soon followed as he leapfrogged along the disintegrated desks to traverse the lab. Riding one like a surfboard across the dangerous liquid, he approached the door where Starfire stood. With one final vault, Robin bounced off one of the giant molecular models before diving through the door, where he finally slammed it shut, fully ridding themselves of the hazardous room.

0-0

After safely returning to the main atrium, the two coherent Titans placed their babbling green friend against the large staircase, where he crumpled to the floor.

"Beast Boy?" Starfire asked with concern as she knelt down next to the changeling who began drooling all over his clothes. "It is I, Starfire. Please! Speak to me!" She tried grabbing his right hand, "Beast Boy?" She then grabbed his head and shook it, "Beast Boy?" She called out louder. Nothing seemed to work as she tried knocking on his head a couple of times. For one final attempt to snap the green teen out of the trance he was in, she inhaled deeply as her head grew too many times normal size. "BEEEEEEAAAAAASSSSSSTTTTTT BOOOOOOYYYYYY!" The Tamaranean shouted with enough force to push the boys faces back on their skulls.

The force of the shout was enough to leave Robin a bit stunned, even though he shoved his fingers in his ears to protect them. When Starfire finally let up, Beast Boy only drooled and babbled some more before keeling over.

"Ah, Star? I don't think that's working." The Boy Wonder pointed out as he looked down at his fallen friend.

"But we must do something or he will remain this way forever." The worried alien said as Beast Boy sat up, wavered a bit, and then tumbled against her midsection, smearing drool against her.

The next moment, the sound of a door opening rang throughout the atrium. "Mad Mod! Come on!" The spiky-haired teen stated as he hustled behind the main staircase. Starfire, not quite sure of the proper hygiene protocol to follow, yanked Beast Boy to the same place as the Titan leader. "We'll hide here and then take him by surprise." He turned back to face the direction the door opened, but a little bit of random mumbling from the hypnotized Titan got on his nerves. "Any way to keep him quiet?"

Thinking quickly, Starfire clapped a hand over the slack mouth of the changeling, only to shudder mightily as drool oozed through her fingers. Seeing as the noise problem was taken care of, Robin peeked over the side of the stairs and saw a shadow approaching. He ducked back briefly before he and the auburn-haired girl leapt out, his foot extended for a flying kick and her hands ready to fire starbolts.

Before any attacks could be launched, Robin was caught in the air by a black orb of magic, keeping him suspended, while Starfire noticed her three missing friends in front of them. Cyborg had his sonic cannon at the ready, Raven had black orbs around her hands as she focused on the Boy Wonder, and Kylar had his aura engulfing his arms as he stood in a fighter's stance.

"Cyborg! Raven! Kylar!" The relieved orange alien cried as she dispelled her energy, "Oh, how glad we are to see you!"

Just as relieved to have found their missing friends, Cyborg and Kylar disarmed themselves while Raven placed Robin back on the ground. "This place is driving me crazy!" The masked Titan voiced his annoyance.

"Tell me about it. Mad Mod's wacked-out computer lab nearly crashed my hard drive." The bionic teen explained.

"And if I have to watch him perform another play, I think I'll go insane." The brunette added as he held up a prop skull and then promptly tossing it over his shoulder.

"Where did our captor send you?" Starfire asked the gloomy mage.

Raven opened her cloak partially and revealed that a white jersey with a large zero on its front had taken the place of her usual black outfit. "Gym." She stated flatly.

"Anybody seen BB?" Cyborg asked.

The answer to his question came from the sound of babbling on the ground. All five teammates looked toward the floor and saw their shape-shifting friend slithering along like an inchworm, with copious amounts of saliva lubricating the path.

Before anyone could ask, Robin spoke up, "Mad Mod's hypno-screens." He explained, "We can't snap him out of it. We've tried everything."

"Did you try this?" The metallic teen picked the unfortunate Titan off the ground and leaned to the side of his head. Pulling Beast Boys' ear wide open, he unleashed a major-league _**–BUUUURRRRP-**_ into it.

"Nice one!" The changeling laughed, completely shaken out of his trance. His laughter died as he looked around the room. "Uh… how did I get here and why am I covered in drool?"

"Wonderful! Now we need only to locate an exit." Starfire cheered.

"Or just keep blasting 'til we make one." Cyborg smirked as he broke out his cannon.

"I'm all for that idea." Kylar agreed as he grinned maliciously and cracked his knuckles.

"Easy. Last thing I smashed tried to smash me back." Their leader told them, "I'm sure this whole place is booby-trapped."

"Then how are we supposed to get out?" Beast Boy asked as he wiped all the saliva from his body.

"We're not." Raven answered, "Don't you get it? Mad Mod's just gonna keep messing with us until-"

"We mess with him." The Boy Wonder exclaimed, "That cane of his controls everything in here. We take the cane-"

"We take control-"

"And take him down!" The greenling grinned maliciously as he began crossing the floor. "Oh, I'll find him. That demented doofus is never hypnotizing me again!" At his last word, a painting on the wall popped out and swung to face him, showing a hypnotic ring pattern. In no time flat, he was salivating, gurgling, and stumbling to the floor as Starfire ran up to catch him.

"So much for that." Kylar stated with a bored look on his face.

"Come on." A Cockney accented voice called out to them. The teens looked to the end of the room and saw their eccentric teacher rise through a trick black tile in the floor, "Won't you lot ever learn?" Mad Mod asked rhetorically as he balanced the cane on one finger before twirling it in his hand, "You're in my world, my duckies. You can't win." He taunted as he pressed the ruby on the top. The doors behind him opened and with that, he was off in a heartbeat.

"Titans! GO!" Robin exclaimed as he ran after the villainous Brit. Cyborg, Raven, and Kylar followed suit, leaving Starfire to tend to the green adolescent.

"But how do I-"

"Make him laugh!" The titanium Titan called over his shoulder before he and the other teens ran through the door.

She found herself standing alone, supporting the hypnotized Titan by his armpits. After a moment, she hoisted him up to look him in the eye. "How many Okaarans does it take to hoegee a morflark?" The Tamaranean asked with a huge smile stretched across her face, "Finbarr!" I'm sure the shape-shifting Titan would have been rolling on the ground laughing until his lungs gave out if he were Tamaranean, but since he wasn't there was no change in his mumbling and driveling. After thinking for a second, Starfire spoke again, "Um… boo-gers?"

"Hahahaha! Boogers!" Beast Boy laughed, snapping out of the trance again. "Aw, man!" He cried as he realized that Mad Mod had hypnotized him again.

Now that he was coherent, Starfire yanked the green teen by the wrist to join in the chase.

0-0

**(A/N: If you want, you can listen to **_**K2G**_** by Puffy AmiYumi since it's such a great and upbeat song that will make anyone happy listening to it. It's also the background music playing during the chase.)**

Mad Mod was wearing goggles and a sheepskin coat and helmet over his suit as he zoomed along on a motor scooter with the Titans in hot pursuit. They were running down a hallway lined with various pictures of the crazy teacher; among them was one of him in his Union Jack sport coat with a bunch of bananas hiding the face. Once the group of teens passed the picture, the redheaded Brit pulled the bananas away and glared at the team before throwing the fruit down the far end of the hall. The insane instructor then jumped from the painting and ran down the opposite end with the Titans soon following.

Back on his scooter, Mad Mod motored down the hall as the six heroes did likewise. However, they soon found themselves running for their lives back in the direction they came as their educator chased them while firing an enormous bazooka time after time.

After running out of ammo, and slipping into a nearby room, Mad Mod led the Titans to a wide room whose white floor and ceiling were marked with a lattice of large holes. The villain rolled in on his scooter again and dropped out of sight. The Titans tried to follow, but the hole solidified and blocked them. As Robin drummed his fingers on the floor, the nutcase popped back up two spots over, without his scooter. The team leader ran to grab him, but suddenly dropped through the hole between him and the educator. Beast Boy transformed into a tiger to jump after the villain but missed when his target rose through a hole in the ceiling while Kylar gave chase.

The other three began poking their heads in the holes-and popping out in all sorts of impossible places. Cyborg even picked up one hole, held it sideways, and stepped through, leaving it to fall flat like a manhole cover. Starfire jumped on the same hole for a moment and shrugged before plummeting out of sight, leaving the blue mage floating by herself. The next few moments, the heads of her teammates began popping up all around her like a Whack-a-Mole game gone haywire. She was scared into a hole when Cyborg peeked up with his head much larger than normal. A moment later, all six leapt from the holes and regrouped, only this time with musical instruments and dressed in the sort of garish clothes often used by British bands of the 1960s. Robin held a guitar, Cyborg held a bass, Raven was standing behind a keyboard, Beast Boy had a bowl cut and was seated behind a drum set, Starfire held a tambourine, and Kylar was holding a microphone. Soon after, Mad Mod drove past, leaning back on the seat, and the Titans zipped out of their new threads to give chase.

The six heroes soon found themselves running up a winding staircase as they pursued the British villain. He was powering his scooter up the incline while they raced along for all they were worth. Reaching a door at the top of the stairs, Mad Mod pressed the cane's ruby, turning the stairs into a slide. Raven, Starfire, and Kylar all floated above the surface as they watched the three others slide down. At the bottom, a hatch opened and a short stretch of stairs emerged, turning itself into a set of snapping jaws.

Beast boy screamed and became an octopus as the three neared the floor. The three flyers made it down and grabbed a tentacle to pull him back up. As they progressed, Robin crashed into the green octopus, and then panic just in time to get four hundred pounds of bionic Titan plowed into his face. Dazed from the impact, the Boy Wonder sat up and glared at the metallic teen as he grinned sheepishly.

The chase then led the entire group into a long hallway with many doors on either side. At the end of the hallway a Mad Mod bust stood. Said teacher the bust was modeled after rode in and, as the Titans slid through in a heap, exited through a far door. Beast Boy reverted to human form and stood there slightly dazed while the other five bolted to the other end. The Limey ran across the hall and soon had a green dog nipping at his heels. Robin peeked out of another door, caught sight of the redhead, and ran toward him while Cyborg crossed the hall. After the bionic left, a green gorilla shambled through and just missed the crazy instructor riding a "penny-farthing" bicycle. Starfire and Raven soon flew through two other doors, exchanging doors as they passed each other. Kylar then flew out of a far end door just in time to see two other doors down the hall flip open, one to the ceiling, the other to the ground, and Mad Mod driving across in an old-style roadster. Once he was out of sight, the brunette flew after him before the doors could close again. The bionic Titan came in again from a nearby door and ran to the end of the hallway; this time his size didn't shrink, forcing him to crawl through the end door. The Boy Wonder then dashed out close to the back wall and toward a near door; his size also didn't change and he was left tiny, as he had to jump up to grab a door and open it.

It's a complete madhouse. Starfire charged through the hallway again, this time riding a green ostrich, and Mad Mod-now wearing a coonskin cap atop his suit-paddled a canoe across the floor. Raven flew out and floated for just a moment before a gargantuan green gerbil ran across; her eyes popped in surprise as she followed it out. After that, Robin ran into the hall and watched as the other five Titans run past him; a green whale slid past with Kylar holding onto its' tail at one point, then the other four dashed through a lower panel of a door, accompanied by a small green elephant, and through another panel as perspective-tricked miniatures.

The masked teen then saw a green penguin fly past, followed by the other four Titans and the fifth as a monkey. Finally all the Titans gathered in one place, and he pointed furiously in several directions. They fanned out to the six other doors and, at a signal from Robin, pulled them open all at once. Nothing behind any of them, so they tiptoed to the door farthest from the Mad Mod bust, which no one tried. The Boy Wonder smirked at his comrades and yanked the knob, only for the team to scream when the head of a colossal reptilian creature greeted them as it poked through and roared.

Meanwhile, Mad Mod stepped leisurely from a far door and waved to them before walking out through a hidden passageway behind the bust. The Titans ran up and Robin flipped the head back to expose a knob. A quick twist, and the wall opened. Color the teens surprised as they were faced with a passageway that lead to an opening that exposed a peaceful meadow.

"No way!" The mage exclaimed.

"Is that what I think it is?" The greenling asked in disbelief.

"One way to find out." Robin responded as he and the others began walking toward the meadow.

"Looks like the real deal." Cyborg stated before the six fell through a fabric screen, dumping them onto the floor. "No!" He cried realizing the opening was only a picture.

"You can't be serious." Kylar groaned as he lifted his body up with his hands.

"Right back where we started!" The Boy Wonder growled as he scanned room. They were back in the atrium where the whole Mad Mod fiasco began, or at least a room identical to it.

A section of the floor flipped over, bringing said villain into the room. "Of course you are, my duckies." He taunted as he tapped the tiles with his cane, causing the section of the floor to carry him high into the air. "Class is over-and you lot haven't learned a thing. That's a failing grade for each bloomin' one of ya." A big red **F** appeared on the underside of the platform as it rose higher and higher. "There's only one thing for it. You'll have to repeat the entire lesson!" He cackled madly.

At then end of his little speech, the main stairs retracted up to the first balcony before all the walls fell outward, exposing a curving black-and-white sunburst patter all around. It was broken only by the doors and paintings, which remained exactly where they were. Many more busts moved in, sporting a nasty variety of weapons.

Standing in the middle of the others, the re-hypnotized Beast Boy started babbling and driveling as he crumpled slowly toward the ground, Raven catching him before he hit the floor.

"Time for class, my duckies. Everyone back to your seats!" Mad Mod whooped as the busts began moving in on the teenage superheroes.

"Titans! Get that cane!" Robin shouted. Cyborg, Starfire, and Kylar gave a hearty yell at his order and charged.

"Um…" A visibly disgusted Raven uttered as she tried figuring out what to do with Beast Boy.

The fronts of several busts opened up to reveal small missile launchers that fired off a heavy salvo. The angered mage created a shield to protect herself and her charge as the glare of explosions covered her. Soon after, Cyborg plowed through the smoke, caught up to Robin, and linked his hands. The spiky-haired Titan took this opportunity to jump up onto his palms and got a hefty upward boost as a result. A bust flew in and the metallic juggernaut crushed it to gravel with a single punch.

Continuing his charge, Robin began hopping from one airborne stone head to another, dodging the occasional laser blast along the way. More busts flew in and started firing, but were blown apart by starbolts and purplish-black spheres, with the shooters flying past the clouds of dust that had been created.

"Oy, no roughhousing!" Mad Mod cried from the top of his platform, "Do I have to separate you lot?" He pressed the ruby on his cane and caused the floor tiles to rise up as square columns.

Kylar and Starfire were on a collision course with the evil educator and ready to shoot him full of holes, but had no such luxury as a column rose in front of their target without warning. The brunette had a head on collision with the pillar while the Tamaranean was just barely able to stop short of the obstacle. She tried to swerve around it, but found her path cut off by another column, and then gasped in shock as the tile that was under her feet reached her and began carrying her higher into the air. Kylar, on the other hand, slowly peeled off the wall of the column and fell to the ground.

Robin resumed his game of leapfrog on the busts heads, and they in turn went back to using him for target practice. He went for one huge leap and got clear of the dummies, but his face soon registered surprise. "Huh?" Was all he could muster before he too collided head-on with a column.

Cyborg quickly hemmed in and was also carried toward the ceiling, "Yo!" He cried out as the motion stopped. He looked around and saw the tiles rose into that of a staggered pyramid of steps with Robin on a different level than him.

However, the Boy Wonder had no time to ponder the geometry as laser shots from above forced him to start jumping from one level to the next. He worked his way up and seized a passing bust, which carried him yelling toward a floating door. Working up a little momentum, he flipped clear just before the sculpture crashed into it and exploded. With the force of the flip, he threw a birdarang at the villainous instructor, who leapt straight up to avoid it and passed the teen in midair.

A bust flew by and strafed, just missing Raven and Beast Boy, then doubled back for another pass as two others joined it. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" The cloaked girl chanted, hurtling three floor tiles, standing vertically, through the air and slicing the attacking stone works in half. The pieces tumbled down around her, followed by a yelling Cyborg, who had been blown off his high perch. "A little help here? I don't _do_ funny." The mage motioned to the drooling idiot.

The bionic teen stood up quickly, happy to oblige his fellow teammate, "You asked for it." He grinned as he pulled her hood back. Next he licked his finger, depositing plenty of saliva on the tip, and shoved it into her ear. Her whole face looked as if it would split in half as her hair flew everywhere.

"Awesome!" Beast Boy laughed hysterically before realizing he had been hypnotized again, "Aw, not again!"

With an angry spark flaring on her temple, Raven put her hood back up. The next moment, Kylar slid on the ground to them, stopping in the middle of the three Titans. "Ow…" He groaned as he sat up and rubbed his head.

The three standing heroes turned toward the direction their brunette friend came from and saw busts with metal spider legs jumping down from higher platforms toward them. Beast Boy morphed into a rhinoceros and charged, smashing the models to bits.

Flying through the air, Starfire shot down a few of the flying sculptures. Spinning through the air to shoot them, she failed to notice one move in behind her with two thin metal arms extended from its shoulders. "Huh?" She looked behind her to see the stone model grab her by the wrists and haul her higher into the air, putting her into a half-spread eagle. Another Mad Mod head approached and extended a laser chainsaw from its base, but a swing of her legs knocked it away, causing it to slice a long gash through the cloth of a giant hypno-screen that formed the wall.

Kylar and Cyborg watched as the bust that cut the screen exploded behind the columns they were standing on. They then glanced to the ground and notice more sculptures on tall pedestals and tank treads coming down from vertical surfaces and up from a trapdoor to form an advancing line.

"They just keep coming." The brunette stated.

"Then we just keep smashing!" The titanium teen shouted as he leapt to the ground and incapacitated one of the busts with a kick. As it flipped in the air, the Titan seized it and heaved it straight at the oncoming enemies, destroying every one of them. Behind him, one more popped out, stun gun extended from the mouth, and rolled toward his back.

Before it could connect with bionic man, Kylar jumped on top of it, legs engulfed in aura, and smashed it to pieces. Cyborg turned around to give his friend a 'thumbs up,' but the moment was short lived as two nets flew past and trapped both of them, dragging them to the ground. "A net? Rea-**Ack**!" The black-jacketed Titan cried as the two nets flowed with electricity, giving both teens a hair-raising jolt that knocked them out.

The place began rearranging itself; doors and paintings changed locations, and the row of tiles the trapped Titans were lying on moved like a conveyor belt and carried them away.

Nearby, a chair, just like the one she was originally in when the team first arrived at the school, seized Raven. "No!" The mage cried out as she struggled to get free. This proved to be useless as her arms and legs were clamped to the chair, and a white energy band fastened itself around her midsection. Kylar and Cyborg were nearby, being hauled into their own chairs.

From above, the green rhino watched helplessly as his friends were being trapped in their wooden seats. Before he could do anything, a hypno-screen popped up right in front of him; reverting to human form, Beast Boy turned his head and squeezed his eyes shut as a long metal arm reached up. "Don't look at the screen, don't look at the screen." The metal arm grabbed his head and turned it toward the screen, "Don't look at the screen, don't look at the screen. Do-" For the fourth time, the green teen succumbed to the mind-numbing effects and started burbling and drooling… again.

As the only one making any progress, Robin quickly made his way up toward Mad Mod's platform. Once he reached it, he threw a kick that hit a big bunch of nothing as the villain easily sidestepped. Teacher planted his cane upright and balanced on its end.

"Oh, give it a rest, snotty. You've already _lost_!" The Brit shouted as he gestured with his cane and, oddly enough, stayed in midair.

The angered Titan looked down from the platform and saw Beast Boy sitting before the screen with the other four Titans secured in chairs. With a growl, he rushed at Mad Mod and dove for the cane. Extending his hand, Robin found himself completely passing through his target.

"Huh?" The rest of the Boy Wonder's body phased through the cane before he stumbled to the edge of the platform and looked at his hand. The surprised teacher hopped to his feet and slammed his stick onto the platform. "The cane isn't real!" Robin exclaimed as he figured out the entire gimmick the villain put the team through, "Which means Mad Mod is just as fake as everything else in here!" He leapt straight at the Brit's image and ran right through it. "Time for a reality check!" The Titan shouted as he flung himself off the edge.

The holographic instructor swung the cane and sent two busts out after the delinquent. Their bases opened to expose missiles locked on target with lasers coming out of their ears.

Robin continued sailing through the air toward the rip made by the laser chainsaw just as a salvo of lasers and missiles came right for him. Just before he could be blasted to the next world, the masked teen tumbled through the opening of a small service duct, with the ordnance exploding behind him.

0-0

Hidden away and surrounded by a bank of monitors that showed the captured Titans from many different angles, a gray-haired man worked a complex array of controls.

"Yeah, this should teach those saucy little ankle-biters some respect." The older man chuckled. The voice was the same as Mad Mod, but this man looked to be at least twenty years older, and had lost all the hair on the top of his head. He wore the same rectangular sunglasses, but his clothing was the sort you might expect on an old man of retirement age-plain, nondescript shirt and suit. The older Mad Mod continued fiddling around with some levers and wenches until one of the screens on the bank of monitors became static. "Just a tick. I've lost Robin."

With a scream, the old man watched as one by one, the other side screens winked out, leaving only the large central monitor still working.

Inside another part of the service duct, the missing disrespectful youngster was crawling around and ripping out every handful of wiring he could find.

0-0

In the crazed room, the four Titans in chairs struggled against their bonds as the fifth kept slobbering all over the floor. In front of the five, the hypnotic pattern on the screen started to waver as the Mad Mod image stepped in front of it.

"Uh… minor technical hitch, my duckies." The fake Brit tried explaining as he tugged on his collar, "Pay no mind, I'll have it fixed in a-" Before he could finish his sentence, his own image fizzled out and disappeared.

As the pattern shut itself off, Cyborg, Raven, Starfire, and Kylar broke out of their chairs. Unfortunately, Beast Boy just lied on the floor, still mesmerized and salivating all over himself.

One after another, the pictures of Mad Mod faded away in their frames and crashed to the floor; the surviving busts were knocked over as well. The fabric walls reeled up like window shades, exposing the machinery that made all the insanity possible, and a forgotten door swung through the air on its support rope.

0-0

Back inside the hidden room with the monitors, Mad Mod yelled and stumbled backward as his systems shorted out in a plume of smoke. "My machines! That meddling little snot will pay for-AAAHHH!" The graying villain cried in fear as he turned around and discovered Robin waiting for him. He was then promptly dragged forward by his lapels and came face to face with the angry Titan. "Hello, guv'nor." The old man choked.

"School's out, Mod. And you're looking at about twenty _years_ of detention." The Boy Wonder assured while the elderly Englishman recoiled at bit at the prospect.

0-0

"Ha!" Cyborg cheered as he opened an overhead hatch to see the sky above. Finding himself on a steel platform on the outskirts of an oil-rig, he climbed out of the hole he was in, followed by Raven, then Kylar, and a properly trussed-up Mad Mod was thrown out after. "Oh, yeah, this is _definitely_ the real deal." The bionic Titan cheered as he stretched his arms out wide and took in the fresh air.

"School always seems smaller after you graduate, doesn't it?" Robin retorted as he emerged from the hole.

"Guess it depends where you go." Kylar added as he and the others walked back to the hole.

"Just don't expect me to go to any reunions." Raven stated as the four of them peered inside in time to hear a moan come from Starfire.

Struggling through the hole, the Tamaranean carried the fifth member of the team and place him down on the steel ground. "I cannot awaken Beast Boy," The girl cried, "I have tried the tickling, all manner of bodily noises, and the word "underpants." I fear that this time his brain is gone forever."

The other four Titans stared at the drooling changeling with no real looks of concern on their faces. "Beast Boy had a brain?" Raven asked sardonically.

After a long moment, he sat up completely cured of his trance, "Good one!" He laughed. The smile on his face quickly disappeared as the meaning of the mages' words sank in. "Dude! That's not funny!" Beast Boy shouted as he stood up. Everyone else began walking away, Cyborg carrying Mad Mod. "I totally have a brain!" Steam shot from the green teens' ears before he ran off to catch up with the rest of his friends.

"I just don't use it much."

* * *

**"_Always be wary of people who use quotes. I don't know who said that_."**

**-Murdoc Niccals**

**Author's Note:**

**I suddenly have the urge to sing.**

**So happy to be done with this chapter. This was one of my favorite episodes because it captures the fun and wacky adventures of the Teen Titans perfectly (****unlike another series that is so terrible it will not be mentioned by name****) but _damn_ was it hard and confusing to write._  
_**

**Now on for the ramblings that no one wants to hear.**

**Hey, do you know who voices Mad Mod? C'mon, I bet you'll never guess. I'll give you some hints: He voices John Henry Eden in _Fallout 3_, he played the villain antagonist, Alex, in _A_ _Clockwork Orange_, and was Caligula in the movie... _Caligula_. More recently, he plays the boss of the law firm of Franklin and Bash from the hit show _Franklin and Bash_!**

**Can you guess? It's Malcolm McDowell! Bet you don't even know who that is.**

**On a completely different note, have you guys heard that CW is planning on making a live action Teen Titans TV show? Apparently it's going to be in the same form as _Arrow_ and _The Flash_, only it'll focus on the team members of the Titans and it'll take place when they are young adults rather than actual teens, so maybe it'll be called _Titans_?**

**Maybe it'll be good, maybe not. I don't know, I'll have to wait and see it for myself. What do you guys think of that?**

**And onto my final note: I got the new Super Smash Bros. Universe 3DS game, so I'll probably be very busy with that for a while, or not since I have classes and other such responsibilities. But yeah, I don't want to alarm anyone just a lot of stuff and not a lot of time.**

**Thus ends the pointless ramblings of a mad man. I want to thank you all for taking the time to read the chapter, you're love and support gives me the energy to continue doing what I love to do.**

**Remember to write a review if you want, and if you have any questions or suggestions, PM me. I love hearing your thoughts.**

**And... That's it! **

**Until next time, See You Space Cowboys.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the DC Universe nor do I own anything from Teen Titans. Any other references made belong to their respective owners, again I own nothing.**


	13. Car Trouble

Nothing but scrap auto parts and tools flooded the garage floor while the sound of mechanical work filled the air. A bit of spot welding was carried out on what looked to be a metal frame, sheet metal was cut to make a body panel, and a shock absorber was set in place with a hubcap being bolted on. Next, a hand reached over and installed a red taillight. An engine was lowered from an overhead crane and once set in place, a torque wrench screwed in a couple of bolts. Finally complete with the engine, two robotic hands reached up and closed the open hood, revealing a familiar bionic African teen with another person wearing a welding mask next to him.

The figure next to him removed the mask to show his face, revealing another familiar teen with brown hair. Giving each other a 'thumbs up' and a smile, both teens climbed into the driver and passenger seats, Cyborg behind the wheel with Kylar in the passenger seat. Once inside, the metallic Titan pressed a button on the dashboard, only to generate no response.

"Huh?" Cyborg seemed confused at the lack of ignition in the car as he hunched down over the steering wheel and started grumbling to himself. A thought balloon appeared over his head, with assorted components scrolling by as if on a stock ticker.

Next to the disgruntled Titan, Kylar placed a hand on his chin, "Hmm." He examined the dashboard more thoroughly before an idea hit him.

"Ha!" Both Titans cheered in a revelation as they snapped their fingers. Without saying anything, the two comrades looked at each other and knew what the other was thinking. After nodding to each other in agreement, the panel on Cyborgs' sternum opened and a blue circuit board popped out. Said robotic man removed it from his chest and then slipped it into a slot on the dash.

Rubbing their hands gleefully, this time the aura manipulator tried the button on the dash. After a brief moment of silence, the engine sputtered before roaring in a full voice that brought an enormous smile to each of their faces.

0-0

This was going to be a wonderful day. After finally finishing the car the two had spent so much time working on, Kylar and Cyborg called for the other Titans to meet them in the garage for a full reveal of their project. After the other four finally arrived, the two mechanics prepared for the showing of a lifetime.

"Drum roll, please!" The chromatic bruiser smiled as his brunette helper stood next to him. Filling the request, Beast Boy changed into a green lemur and started thumping his belly. "Ladies and gentlemen-and whatever Beast boy is…"

"Hey, guys. You want a drum roll or not?" The changeling asked angrily after reverting back to human form.

"Sorry." Cyborg apologized. He then turned to Kylar and nodded.

"***Ahem***" The black-jacketed wearing teen cleared his throat, "It is our great pleasure to present…" He said.

"For the first time anywhere," The bionic teen added.

"The thing you've all been waiting for…"

"Our coolest…"

"Hottest…"

"Baddest creation…" The two enthusiastic grease monkeys traded off saying things about their invention with increasing fervor.

"Just get on with it." Raven droned, clearly not amused by the twos antics.

"We give you the future of Titans transportation, the one, the only…" Cyborg grabbed two fists full of tarp and whipped it away, "T-CAR!"

The car was fully exposed to the entire team: white body with blue trim along the sides and a front bumper that resembled the circuitry seen through the transparent coverings on Cyborg's body, and looking like that of a mini SUV.

On the other side of the presentation, Robin stared wide-eyed in admiration while the other three onlookers peeked out from behind him.

"Dude!" The green viewer awed.

"Cool!" The spiky-haired Titan stated, impressed at the sight.

"Oooooh!" Starfire cooed as she happily brought her hands together.

Raven, on the other hand, was considerably less enthused than the rest.

Both mechanics patted the car lovingly. "Yep, we're the proud parents of a new baby." The brunette joked as he popped open the hood of the car, "One-hundred-thousand-horsepower plasma-turbine engine." He described.

"All-terrain hoverjets." Cyborg said as he led the group to the back of the car to show them the custom built exhaust pipes.

"Antilock air brakes…" The aura manipulator added.

"And an onboard computer that links with my systems-so I can literally _feel_ the road." The bionic grease monkey stated smoothly.

"Whoa!" The easily impressed changeling exclaimed while Robin whistled in amazement.

"Amazing!" The extraterrestrial cheered with a huge smile spread across her face.

Oh, let's not forget the residential mage who… fell asleep on her feet, _clearly_ engrossed in what her two taller teammates had to say… clearly.

With cheeky grins on their faces, the two partners in crime rolled the windows of the car down to give a good view of the interior. Oddly enough, the car interior was spaced in such a way that there were three rows of two seats for each team member, sacrificing trunk space, but making enough legroom.

"And of course, leather seats, power windows, and a booming stereo are all standard." The African Titan went on to explain. Above the car, two enormous speakers popped out of the roof and cranked the line up so high that everyone but Kylar and Cyborg were blown off their feet.

Beast Boy, Robin, and Starfire were all momentarily dazed and disheveled from the sonic onslaught.

"Sweet!"

"Nice!"

"It sings!" Each of the excited Titans praised respectively.

"Can we go now?" Raven asked, still absolutely unaffected by the demonstration in any way.

"You bet, Rae." Kylar grinned, "We'll take you anyplace you like."

At the brunettes' words, the shape-shifting Titan grinned, "The beach!" He suggested.

"The movies!" The Boy Wonder offered.

"The swamp moons of Drenthax Four!" The Tamaranean exclaimed happily, causing the two other boys to keel over. "He said anyplace." The girl defended as she blushed.

As the two shorter boys stood up, Robin rubbed his head before his communicator sounded. "Trouble!" He stated once he checked it.

The next thing the Titans realized was the sound of an engine revving. They turned to see Cyborg already seated at the wheel. "I'll drive!"

0-0

Responding to the distress call, everyone made their way into the vehicle and soon found their way rolling on a winding mountain road. Not a cloud in the sky on this beautiful night as the T-Car left behind the Tower and drove into the city. The teens were situated with Cyborg driving, Starfire in the passenger seat, Beast Boy seated behind the alien girl, Robin seated behind the driver, and Kylar and Raven seated at the far back, the former seated behind the greenling, and the latter seated behind the leader.

As much fun as taking the newly built vehicle out for a spin, the ride into town was… interesting to say the least. However, one Titan would strongly disagree.

"Are we there yet?" The blue mage asked flatly as she peeked her head over to look at the driver.

"NO!" Cyborg shouted through gritted teeth.

"So many fascinating buttons!" The giddy Tamaranean laughed as she zipped her hands across the dashboard, pressing every button within reach.

"Stop! Don't! Careful with…" The driver cried out, completely freaked out by the girls' goofing off.

"Your baby is most entertaining!" She added as she continued her innocent antics.

"Not the ejector seat!" Cyborg cried, "Ky, a little help here?"

Said Titan was lounging in his chair in the back row with his hands behind his head, "If we can't have fun with a car, what's the point of building our own?" He said, causing the other to murmur angrily to himself.

"Look they are dancing!" The energetic extraterrestrial awed, as the windshield wipers started moving back and forth.

Cyborg then looked in the rear view mirror and saw a green dog leaning out the window, savoring the wind as drool splattered everywhere from his lolling tongue. "Yo! I know you're not drooling on my paint job." The metallic mechanic stated angrily.

"My bad." Beast Boy chuckled sheepishly after reverting to his human form.

Up front, Starfire's eyes were still glued to the wiper blades. Cyborg shut them off, deflating her mood considerably, and then smiled as he let off a relieved sigh at having gotten everything back under control.

"All right, y'all, hang on." The driver cheered, "Time to kick my baby into high gear and see what she can-"

"There! Stop the car!" Robin exclaimed as he leaned forward and pointed to their destination.

"Oh, man…" Cyborg sighed, disappointment oozing from his voice.

0-0

In Jump City's tech district, a store with the words **Cook's Electronics** blazing with neon red lights seemed to have something very eventful happening as several screaming people ran through the open front entrance.

Skidding across the parking lot, the T-Car came to a very neat stop at the curb. First one out was Beast Boy, who stumbled dizzily to the pavement, then Robin, who had himself a bit more under control.

"Titans! GO!" The masked leader shouted. On his word, all but the two grease monkeys charged toward the building.

Inside the car, Kylar placed a locking device to keep the car immobilized while Cyborg wiped the windshield lovingly. "Coming!" Both heroes called out.

As they continued shining the car, two teenage boys sidled up, one short, one tall and wearing sunglasses, with a toothpick in his mouth. Both fitting the profile of the typical 1950s street gang member: T-shirt, jeans, and black leather jacket… wait…

"Dude! That is phat!" The shorter of the two complimented.

"Sweet ride. She yours?" The taller teen asked.

Kylar quickly slid across the hood and stood next to his taller friend while the other leaned against the door, "Sure is." The brunette smirked.

"Built her with our own two hands, using the finest parts and cutting-edge techn-AH-AAHH!" The titanium teen yelled in surprise as Raven reached up and seized both his and the brunettes' ear.

"Boys." The mage sighed disgustedly as she dragged them away from the car.

"But Rav-AH!" Kylar cried as she pulled on his ear.

"Whoa! Almost forgot to switch on the alarm." Cyborg pulled out a keychain remote and hit a button; the headlights flashed and a siren blipped briefly, showing that the alarm was now active.

Both of the troublemakers took a step back, but continued gazing upon the home-built conveyance. After a quick moment, they traded a knowing look.

0-0

Inside the store, high-voltage arcs played among the shelves of stereo speakers, which crumbled into dust before being quickly sucked down from their places. Televisions and VCRs received the same treatment as the entire area was awash in current. Standing at the heart of the electrical discharge was a large figure composed entirely of electricity, save for a small circuit board at its center; the arms were outstretched, forming the source of the arcs.

"**Mine! All mine!**" The figure shouted.

"If you're going to take that stuff, you'd better be ready to pay for it." The electrical being heard a voice call out.

The creature looked over and saw the six Titans standing at the entrance, ready to rush in and attack. "**Foolish biological. Overload will destroy!**" The being, referring to itself as Overload, shouted as it pounded the floor. The resulting shockwave sent a few thousand amperes straight at the team.

Scattering to avoid the shock, Robin leapt high and extended his fighting staff in a trice. He twirled his weapon to block a shock of electricity and responded by flinging a handful of discs.

Overload deflected these projectiles easily and blasted the Boy Wonder across the store, passing Raven as he tumbled.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" The cloaked girl chanted as she levitated several pieces of hardware. The items rocketed toward the electrical villain and disappeared into its' body. Instead of being hurt, though, it merely grew several feet and roared heartily. Raven retreated to where Kylar was floating next to Beast Boy, who was crouched atop a display case.

"Uh-oh." The brunette groaned at the consequence of the attack.

"Smooth." The green teen deadpanned. Overload shot a blast of electricity at the trio, causing them to scatter before the case could be blown apart.

Now, Starfire got into the game with a pass over the walking spark plug's head, shooting a string of starbolts without effect. The entity curled one of its tendrils and countered with a punch that sent her careening out of control to crash into the wall.

"Yo, Radiohead! Listen to this!" Cyborg shouted, priming his right arm in sonic cannon mode, and letting off a huge beam at the villain. This attack, however, did no visible damage, and soon the bionic African found himself on the receiving end of a thundering wall of sound from a large stereo speaker. The force of the sound wave was enough to hurl the poor Titan the length of the showroom and slam him into a column.

"**Mine!**" The supercharged evildoer yelled as it grabbed Cyborg and held him aloft as he struggled to get free.

"I'll bet you're not waterproof!" The struggling hero barked before throwing a devastating right jab made Overload drop him and skid across the floor toward a water cooler some distance away.

The bottle flew overhead once the villain collided with it, and a fair amount of the contents splashed down on the electrical figure; its face straining in discomfort as it was drenched.

"Good idea." Robin shouted, "Titans! Soak him!"

On his word, Raven exerted her powers over a water fountain and ripped it from the wall. As a result, the broken pipes started gushing water out a high speeds. The cooler bottle that spilled on the villain was now in the hands of Beast Boy as he chugged every drop, became an elephant, and used his trunk as a fire hose. Next, Starfire and Kylar flew around the room and blasted a few shots at the ceiling-mounted sprinklers, knocking them all off and creating one shower after another. Their leader, meanwhile, had an actual fire hose in hand with the nozzle fully open. The combined effect of the assaults shrunk Overload and drove him groaning to the floor.

The defeated villain glanced up from the heap it lied in and saw the six Titans standing over him and smiling triumphantly at their victory.

0-0

Having subdued the electrical abomination and rolling it in a thick nonconductive blanket, each hero exited the electronics store. As they came out, Beast Boy froze in his tracks and stared dumbstruck into the lot as his friends passed him, Starfire was carrying the bound enemy on her shoulder.

The last two to walk out of the store were the two energetic grease monkeys, "Soon as we hand Sparky over to the cops how 'bout we swing by the drive-thru?" Cyborg suggested as he elbowed his brown-haired partner on his side.

"Yeah. But this time, I get shotgun." Kylar replied with a toothy grin as they stood next to their shape-shifting friend.

"Uh… guys?" Beast Boy said getting their attention as he gestured to the parking lot in front of them.

The sight that greeted the bionic and aura manipulator would be enough to crush any hardworking mechanic: an empty lot with the T-Car nowhere in sight. Both panicking Titans ran across the blacktop and looked around aimlessly.

"My wheel lock!" The bionic teen cried.

"My car alarm!" The brunette shouted.

"My baby! Somebody stole my baby!" Cyborg sobbed as he collapsed to the ground and pounded his fists into the asphalt.

0-0

Miles from the crime scene, the baby in question sped through the streets. Inside, the two gangster looking teens were hanging out of the front windows and enjoying the high-speed joyride.

"YEAH!" The teen with the sunglasses and black jacket whooped as he drove the car.

"Make it go faster! Make it go faster!" The shorter of the two boosters laughed as he too enjoyed the wind blowing in his face as the car sped up and disappeared over a hill.

0-0

"Noooo!" Cyborg cried as gripped the broken wheel lock in his hand, tears streaming down his face. "No, no, no, no, no…" He hung his head sadly

"This isn't happening, this isn't happening…" Kylar repeated as he sat on the asphalt next to his heartbroken friend, hugging his legs to his chest and gripping the ripped-out car alarm in his right hand.

The rest of the team was standing behind them, giving them worried looks. Starfire was the first to try and console the two boys. Placing the electric villain that was on her shoulder on the ground, she stepped up and placed a hand on both of their backs. "I understand your pain, friends." She sympathized, "When I was small, my favorite zarnik was eaten by a rampaging gloorg. Believe me, after your zarnik has been inside a gloorg, you do not want it back."

"The car wasn't eaten. It was stolen!" The metallic Titan growled in response to his alien friends' attempt to console him.

"And sitting around isn't going to fix that." The aura manipulator added as he stood up.

"Hey, look on the bright side. At least it wasn't _my_ fault." Beast Boy joked. It didn't seem to have any affect at lifting the mood as neither of his taller teammates paid attention to him.

"Not helping." Robin returned, causing the changeling to laugh nervously. He turned to address Cyborg and Kylar, "We'll help you find your car, I promise. But right now, we've gotta take Overload to jail." He said gesturing to the soggy villain on the ground.

"No! We gotta go now!" The chromatic bruiser panicked as he stood up and approached the leader, "Every second we wait is a second she could get scratched or dinged or-"

"Sold, or stripped for parts, or-" The brunette chimed in, in the same worried voice as the African teen.

"Calm down." The two heard the monotone voice of Raven say to them, "It's just a car."

Both of the distressed owners shot her an over-shoulder glare, showing her just what they thought of this remark. Cyborg pivoted and approached the cloak magician.

"She's not just a car, she's _my_ car." He growled as he stalked away from the group with Kylar close behind. "And we're gonna find her, whether you guys help us or not!"

The other four Titans watched with worried expressions as their two friends walked further and further from them.

0-0

Saying the search for the missing vehicle was going smoothly wouldn't exactly be accurate. The two Titans were smart enough to place a tracking device in the car that fed a signal to Cyborg, but were not sure if the two carjackers had removed it as well. They followed the signal to a drive-in restaurant at the height of the evening rush. All the stalls were filled with customers chowing down on fast foods and milkshakes. As a waitress fed a tray through one driver's door, the two angered Titans marched resolutely past them and received funny stares from both waitress and customer.

The two continued walking down the surrounding sidewalk of the diner, passing more teens and couples. At the end of the path, one teen, dressed in jeans and a black leather jacket, stood as he spoke to a friend.

"It had a tailpipe this big!" The male gestured excitedly as the hulking semi-robotic man and aura manipulator came up behind him. The other youth got spooked and ran off, confusing the other teen.

However, he had no time to think about what happened as Cyborg turned the boy around and hauled him up by his jacket lapels. "I'm looking for my car. Tricked-out hardtop with a growl that'll make your teeth shake." The angered teen pulled the scared wannabe gangster to his face, "Ring any bells?"

"Um-" The poor youth stuttered as sweat poured from the sides of his head.

"I'd answer him if I were you," Kylar added, seemingly disinterested in the interrogation as he was examining his nails on his right hand. "You don't want to know what he'll do to you if you don't."

The scared teen glanced back over to the larger interrogator just as he snorted heavily, expelling puffs of smoke from his nostrils like an enraged bull. His pupils contracted in fear, "Yeah, yeah, um-Sammy and Cash cruised by in a car like that. Looks really cool with those flames painted on it."

"What?!" The brunette yelled angrily.

"They painted my baby?!" Cyborg shouted as he shook the suspect, "Where are they?" He asked after he calmed down.

"Well, they were looking to race, so they headed to… Crash Alley." The youth replied nervously as he pointed in the direction the thieves went.

Cyborg released his grip on the boy, causing him to fall to the ground. Both teens were completely stunned at the youths' response as their eyes were completely bugged out of their heads.

0-0

The distinctive sound of racing engines rang through the air. Inside a massive stadium, a familiar white and blue car pulled up to the starting line of a track in front of the packed grandstands. True to the previous delinquents description, orange flames had been painted across the hood and front bumper, spilling back along the sides. Next to the T-Car, a tiny vehicle rolled up; it almost looked like a circus clown car, but with a normal paint job. An antenna sprouted from the rear end, marking it as an oversized radio-control car.

Next to the small car, the passenger side window lowered, exposing the two car thieves inside; the shorter teen was in the passenger seat and the taller teen wearing the sunglasses was in the driver seat.

"Hey, Cash!" The shorter of the two laughed, "Check out the cute little windup toy!"

"Get out the butter and jam, Sammy, 'cause this dude is toast." The taller one, known as Cash, smirked.

Both engines revved as the starting lights dropped from red through yellow. Once the light flashed green, both contestants shot off the line in a wailing screech of smoking rubber. The T-Car and the midget racer edged back and forth a few times before Cash and Sammy nudged the competition aside and pulled ahead. They repeated the performance when it started to pull even again, but the tiny auto drove onto the banked outer wall of the track and zoomed on. When it came back down, it had taken the lead while the fans cheered wildly at the spectacle.

Cash and Sammy found themselves stuck behind the swerving micro-car and were unable to get out in front. "Dude, we're getting smoked!" Sammy gasped at their ordeal.

Not wanting to lose to a tiny clown car, Cash floored the accelerator, causing the T-Car to speed up fast enough to put them in first. "Then we'll smoke them right back." The sunglass-wearing youth quipped as he pressed a button labeled **Smoke**. This caused thick clouds of fumes to pour from the rear into the path of the other car.

The haze soon parted and revealed the vehicle charging on-with a small vacuum nozzle deployed under the front bumper, sucking up the fumes.

Cash noticed the tiny headlights of their opponent approaching in the side view mirror and reached for another button labeled **Oil Slick**. Pipes popped out from the rear bumper and spewed copious amounts of motor oil behind them. The little car's axles extended to either side, putting the tires beyond the edges of the slick, and the body rose a few feet on the slender rods to avoid the hazard. It rolled neatly past, and over, the T-Car before reverting to its original configuration. Again, the stands erupted with cheers from the fans.

The driver sat bent over the wheel as the two boosters found themselves in second place again. Sammy fixed a bemused stare straight ahead for a second before looking at the dash. "Hey, what's this one do?" He asked as he pressed another button. He got his answer after a short delay as the T-Car accelerated dramatically and raced ahead. It drove crazily up the wall and came down in front before crossing the finish line to take the checkered flag.

With the race over, the T-Car performed a sharp U-turn and came to a stop. "Dude! That was the bomb!" Sammy whooped as he and his friend leapt out of the car.

"The fastest car in town, and she's totally ours." Cash boasted as the tiny car pulled up in front of them.

"Not anymore, pit-sniffers!" The two thieves heard a child-like voice say to them from the small car. There was a brilliant flash of light, and when it cleared, the two juvenile delinquents found themselves caught within a spherical force field projected from the little car's headlights. Slowly but surely, they were lifted into the air.

"Hey!" The shorter of the two cried.

"Huh? Hey, dude, what's going on here, huh?" The taller teen asked. The surprise left them unable to fully comprehend what was happening.

The lights of the tiny car shut of, and the entire mini-auto rose into the air to expose a tiny, bald boy wearing a green jumpsuit with goggles on his head. The car folded itself away into the central equipment pack on the boys' back as he stood up. "Check out Gizmo's bonzer new wheels." The boy bragged as he walked over to the T-Car. "Thanks, hogs. I've been needing a faster getaway car." He opened the driver side door and hopped in.

The two, trapped teens looked at each other in a panic before speaking. "Wait! You can't take it, it's not ours!" Sammy yelled out hastily.

"Yeah, we were just kind of borrowing it… from the Titans." Cash admitted as he scratched the back of his head.

"Hehehe, even better." Gizmo laughed as he plugged a wired controller into a slot on the dashboard. "So long, snot-munchers!" On the end of his words, the tires screeched backwards before the T-Car turned around sharply. With a mighty roar of the engine, the repossessed automobile sped off, leaving the two youths to watch helplessly from within the force field.

Once the supped up automobile was out of eyesight, Cash turned to Sammy, "This is all your fault." He said flatly.

Before the other youth could defend himself, two pairs of hands reached up and yanked both of them out of their prison. "Hey!" Both teens cried out when they came face to face with the people carrying them. Kylar had his hands gripping Sammy by the collar while Cyborg had his hands on Cash's collar.

"What's going on, buddy?" Cash greeted nervously.

"I want my car." The titanium teen stated icily.

"Where is it?" The brunette added with the same amount of ice in his voice.

"Yeah, see, um, the thing is, we sort of lost it in a race." Sammy admitted quickly in hopes of not getting murdered by the two very angered Titans.

"You lost the car?!" Kylar shouted as he held Sammy higher.

"She lost a race?!" Cyborg cried out, more preoccupied at the idea that the high end automobile could possibly lose a race.

"No way! We beat him easy." Cash defended, "She handled like a dream."

"She did? How'd she take the curves?" The metallic man asked, relieved at the youth's words, "'Cause, you know, we've been working on the suspension for-"

"Cy." The black-jacketed teen nudged his friend.

"Don't try to distract me." Cyborg cleared his throat, angry again with the thieves. "Who has her now?" A big drop of sweat popped out on Cash's temple, keeping him from answering.

"Dude named Gizmo." Sammy let out quickly, "Said something about a getaway car and headed downtown." He added in hopes of getting let of easy by the two crime fighters.

The information didn't seem to help their punishment as the next thing the two boys knew, they were unceremoniously stuffed back into the force field. "Hey!" Cash called out as he and his partner pounded their fists against the field.

"You can't just leave us like this!" Sammy cried as the two mechanics stalked away from them.

"You're right. We'll make sure the cops come pick you up." Cyborg shouted back at the two without turning around.

Sammy and Cash traded a very scared look and started crying, believing that this was truly the end for their free lives.

0-0

On the other side of town, a bank had its drive-up window occupied by the idling stolen vehicle. Inside, the sunroof was open and a hose leading from the building was blowing cash into the back seat as Gizmo sat at the wheel, waist-mounted control unit in hand to work the car's systems.

"This is too easy." The midget chuckled as the last of the money flowed into the car, "Wonder if there's a drive-thru jewelry store around here."

As he fiddled with the controller in his hands, Cyborg dropped down and landed on the hood. His boiling mad visage spoke volumes about his mood as well as startled a yell out of Gizmo, "Get your tiny butt outta my car!" He shouted through the glass.

With another panicked cry, the owner of that tiny butt started punching buttons furiously, "Whoa!" The Titan cried as the T-Car peeled out backwards. Reaching the street, the bald driver put the car in drive and began burning rubber. As the car raced through the streets of Jump City, Cyborg noticed fuzzy dice hanging from the rear view mirror. "Fuzzy dice? Aw, now that's just tacky. Whoa!"

Another sharp turn of the car, and into a car wash they went. The tiny terror laughed from inside as the T-Car passed through the whirling brushes and jets of water.

"No! Keep those nasty plastic brushes off my baby! She's hand-wash only!" The African teen yelled in fright.

As the wash continued, suds poured down over a thoroughly peeved amateur mechanic; when they were rinsed off, he bore all his teeth in a snarl accentuated by the hot air pouring from the drying nozzles to peel his lips back. Ever so slowly, the ride emerged from the car wash, sparkling clean, as Cyborg glared through the windshield at Gizmo, who had stuck his tongue out. The flame paint job applied by Cash and Sammy had been scrubbed away as a result of the wash.

Soon after, the car barreled off past a _**Construction Zone Ahead**_ sign. The metallic Titan yelled time and again, trying his best to hang on to the hood as the bald driver swerved through a string of cones with the tires bouncing on the broken road surface.

After passing the construction zone, the T-Car carried the mechanic up a steep incline. "The clutch! You gotta use the clutch!" Cyborg groaned as he heard the gears grinding.

"I know, you stinking hood ornament!" Gizmo grinned.

"Are you even old enough to drive?" The hood ornament asked, getting a tongue stuck out at him from the driver as a response.

The T-Car reached the top of the hill and went airborne for a few seconds before slamming back onto the road. A too-close encounter with a telephone pole left a long gouge on the passenger-side panels; Cyborg gasped in fright and turned his left hand into a circular buffer.

"That'll buff right out, that'll buff right out…" He panicked as he quickly worked on the damage. However, a sweep against another pole knocked the buffer pad away as well as taking the right side view mirror from the car.

The car continued speeding along a road that paralleled a river, quickly approaching a drawbridge over the waterway. The two halves began to rise as a trash barge approached. The wheels of the car raced toward a _**Bridge Closed Ahead**_ sign, whose warning lights began flashing. This proved to be ineffective as the car crashed through the barricade and up the increasingly steeper slope.

"Hit the nitro!" Cyborg yelled, on the verge of a total meltdown. Inside, Gizmo was panicking as he quickly scanned the car for the correct button. "HIT THE NITRO!" The titanium teen shouted again as the car came close to reaching the top of the bridge.

The proper button was located and pressed. A mighty blast poured from the exhaust and the T-Car accelerated to incredible speeds as it reached the end of the bridge. Gaining altitude as the barge passed beneath, the car cleared the opening in the bridge and touched down on the far end. Unfortunately, Cyborg lost his grip in midair and crashed down to the barge, landing squarely amid the piled up trash.

He quickly sat up and picked a banana peel off his head, "Oh, man…" The Titan sighed wearily as he watched the bridge piece itself back together.

0-0

"I'm sorry man. It's all my fault." Kylar sighed as he sat on the curb and handed his disheartened friend a red milkshake cup. "I should've been there." The saddened bionic took the cup and drank it quickly.

After losing the T-Car, Cyborg made his way to the drive-in diner the two of them went to when they first tried finding the car. After a while Kylar appeared as well and found him sitting despondently on the curb. Trying to cheer his fellow mechanic up, the brunette offered to buy them drinks. However, one drink became two. Two became three, then five, then eight, then fourteen… you get the idea.

"No, it's not." The African Titan sighed as he finished drinking the shake, adding the cup to the other cups that were scattered around them. "I'm the one who said to split up."

Both teens sat in silence until a voice caught their attention. "Fourteen milkshakes." Kylar glanced over his shoulder and saw Raven standing behind them. "Not a good sign." She added as she took a seat next to the brunette.

"What're you doing here?" Kylar asked as he buried his face in his arms.

"Looking for your car." The mage replied, "Soon as we turned Overload in to the police, we all split up to search the city."

"Might as well stop looking." Cyborg stated sullenly, "T-Car's probably halfway to Metropolis by now." Both boys let out a deep sigh at the revelation.

"You know something funny?" The aura manipulator asked as he picked his head up and looked to the sky, "From the day we first thought of her, we had the feeling she would be special."

"And we worked so hard, every fuel injector, every spark plug… we made her perfect." The bionic Titan added. "We put our hearts, souls, and circuits into that car. And now she's gone forever."

Talking about the car brought some happiness to the two depressed boys, but after coming to the realization that it was gone, they sank right back into their saddened states. "Maybe you were right. Maybe it was just a car." Kylar admitted.

"Maybe. Maybe not." Raven began, "When I use my powers, I have to put a little of my soul into whatever I'm moving. I become a part of it, and it becomes a part of me." She explained, "Just like your powers, Kylar. And that's kinda what happened here. It wasn't just a car. It was… your baby."

The mages' words seemed to have consoled the two mechanics as they brightened a bit. "Yeah." Cyborg smiled as he lifted his chin.

"Thanks, Rae." Kylar said, giving her a warm smile as she gave him a small smile of her own.

The sound of screeching tires quickly wiped the smile from her face, though. "And someone's eating onion ring in your baby."

Both males turned to look in the direction of the noise. Their eyes went wide as they witnessed the T-Car about to peel out of the parking lot with Gizmo still driving.

"Hey! You didn't pay!" A waitress yelled as she rolled up to the car on her skates. The midget just laughed as he sped away from the place.

"HE'LL GET KETCHUP ON THE SEATS!" The titanium Titan shouted as he stood up.

Raven and Kylar quickly stood up as well but looked in a different direction. The brunette tapped his shoulder to draw his attention and pointed in the direction he was looking while the mage walked toward it.

Across the parking lot, standing by a black convertible with the top down, two familiar looking car thieves were talking to another waitress.

"So we were stuck. Looked like we'd get busted for sure." Cash smirked, trying to impress the girl.

"But then we _totally_ escaped before the cops showed up." Sammy finished with a cheeky grin.

A whistle caught their attention and, as they turned to face the source of the noise, they found themselves surrounded by black magic that raised them into the air as the waitress stared in total puzzlement.

"Escape from _that_ before the cops show up!" Raven growled as she approached the two. Kylar and Cyborg walked over to the car and examined it.

"Sweet ride." The blue-eyed brunette smirked as he hopped into the back seat.

"Mind if we borrow it?" The bionic African asked as he held up the keys.

The two young hoodlums had no response but a pair of very scared smiles as they nodded in agreement.

0-0

Outside Jump City, the twice-stolen T-Car rocketed around a curve on a stretch of road. Inside, Gizmo had connected his waist controller to the steering wheel, operating the vehicle remotely as he enjoyed the meal he ripped off from the drive-in. However, the honk of a car horn caused him to spit out a mouthful of soda.

"CRUD!" The mini villain cried as he saw a black convertible gaining on him through the rear view mirror. He sped around a curve in on the mountainside, but the black roadster kept pace easily. With a frustrated groan, Gizmo pulled the controller off the wheel to operate it himself. A cloud of exhaust and rubber smoke poured back toward the black car, but it quickly parted to reveal the three Titans in hot pursuit.

"He may have a better car, but _I'm_ a better driver!" Cyborg stated as he put the convertible into the next gear and sped off after their car. Raven was in the passenger seat as Kylar sat in the back.

The chase continued through the serpentine bends of the two-lane blacktop. "Cy, try and pull up next to the T-Car. I'm gonna jump in it." Kylar explained.

"Got it." The semi-robotic Titan said as he floored the gas pedal, causing the car to close in on their target.

Gizmo was finding it harder and harder to escape from his pursuers as he drove past more twists and turns on the road. "Eat crud, you stinking losers!" The miniature menace shouted as he pressed the **Oil Slick** button. Behind the T-Car, pipes popped from the backside and dumped the viscous liquid into the Titans' path.

Cyborg gasped and cut his wheels sharply, causing the car to flip up onto its passenger-side tires to keep from running through the hazard. It dropped out of this side wheelie once they passed the oil and continued racing ahead.

As the ultra-high-speed pursuit continued, Gizmo worked his own control a bit before opening his eyes wide with surprise. "Ooooh, cool!" He awed as he noticed a button on the dash labeled **Proton Cannon**. Once he pressed it, the roof opened up and a large gun based off of Cyborgs' arm cannon extended from within and pointed back along the road. It locked into place and warmed up; the titanium Titan's eyes popped briefly before the right one gushed with tears.

"Boo-yah! Check out my baby's proton cannon." Cyborg awed, drunk off the excitement he felt at seeing the cannon being used. Raven and Kylar shot him an odd look that made him sober up quickly. "Uh… I mean… oh, no." He corrected as a big drop of sweat rolled down his temple.

The gun began firing, forcing the bionic to swerve from side to side in order to avoid being annihilated. One shot struck the road just ahead of the car, but Cyborg was unfazed and drove straight on through the resulting cloud of smoke. Just as Gizmo rode up on the racetrack wall, Cyborg took his car up the rock face a few feet, still dodging the cannon blasts. Gradually he eased higher and higher, finally settling on a stretch of road that was at the increased elevation. The two single-minded drivers continued their mad dash on now-parallel courses.

Despite his best efforts, Cyborg couldn't get the car to go fast enough to catch up with the pintsized villain. "Come on! Faster, faster!" He growled as he pounded his fist against the dashboard.

"Hang on." Raven ordered as she stood up in her seat and gripped the top of the windshield. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" The mage chanted, forming her black magic around the entirety of the car.

"Uh, Raven?" Kylar asked, confused at what his friend was doing.

"Yo, what are you-" Cyborg couldn't finish his thought as he was cut off by the car being flung forward, forcing a terrified scream from his and the brunettes' lungs.

The entire car, now under Raven's influence, went flying off the edge of a curve and started to drop. Gizmo, on the lower part of the road, was still grinning and working his controller, but the sight of the black car smoothly descending to his right threw a real surprise his way. The car did not touch the road, but instead eased over to knock fenders.

"Pull over!" The metallic teen ordered as the two cars slammed against each other.

"Make me, Robo-Wimp!" The HIVE villain taunted. He swerved, pushing the convertible against the rock face, and performed a quick 360-degree spin.

The mage quickly evened the car out with the stolen one quickly. Cyborg reached toward the car and got one hand hooked on the passenger-side front door. "I said, pull over!" He called out again as he tried reaching for the mini driver.

"Hey! Let me go, you barf-smelling hairball!" Said driver cried as he turned in his seat and shoved his behind in Cyborg's face.

"Okay, making it _really_ hard to concentrate." The cloaked Titan groaned as she continued her focus on flying the car.

Gizmo quickly jerked the T-Car away from the magically influenced car, forcing the bionic to release his grip. However, this time Kylar quickly leapt from the back seat of the car and jumped across the gap. He just barely made it to the other car as he grabbed the inside of the passenger-side front door window and pulled himself in. As he made his way inside the car, he lunged toward the driver and tried to seize the controller.

"Give it, you little twerp!" The aura manipulator growled as he struggled with the villain.

"No! It's mine! I stole it fair and square!" The tiny terror yelled as he tried pushing Kylar's face away from him.

The two cars continued on. The struggling inside the T-Car caused it to swerve back and forth on the road, causing it to slam against the black convertible multiple times. As they continued driving down the road, the bright flare of approaching headlights caught the other two Titans attention.

"Whoa!" Raven and Cyborg gasped as they got closer and closer to a head on collision with the approaching vehicle.

The blaring horn caught the attention of the brunette and midget in the T-Car, causing them to face toward the source and see an oncoming prison transport van. Kylar had the villain in a headlock and seated in the driver seat as they released a yell of sheer panic before he punched a button on the dash labeled **EJECT**.

The van was finally upon the group. The guards driving the van jumped clear, leaving it to careen driverless toward the pair of cars. The convertible was levitated to a safe height, and the pipsqueak and brunette escaped on the ejected driver seat.

"NOOOOOOO!" Cyborg cried as the borrowed ragtop rose higher and higher into the sky. Next to the convertible, a parachute deployed from the seat just as a colossal explosion occurred beneath them.

At ground level, the van had been knocked onto its side, while the smashed T-Car had fetched up against the undercarriage. A short distance from the crash site, Raven brought the convertible down for a soft landing on a clear patch of road before Cyborg hopped out and ran toward the wreckage.

Above the mage, Kylar and Gizmo slowly made their descent with the miniature genius cackling wickedly, getting on the brunettes' nerves.

"Heh! Looks like your stupid car is-mmph!" He was cut off when the ticked aura manipulator tore out some stuffing from the car seat and stuffed it in his mouth before ripping out some wiring from his backpack and wrapping it around the thief's torso.

"Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay…" The worried mechanical teen pleaded as he ran closer and closer toward the wreck.

Sparks crackled over the side of the overturned van and formed into a lightning bolt that poured itself into the not-even-close-to-okay T-Car. Once the lightning disappeared inside the car, it turned itself around and faced the panicking mechanic.

"**Car is better than okay**." A familiar voice stated, "**Car is mine!**" Cyborg looked inside the car and saw that Overload was seated at the wheel.

Kylar caught up with the other builder just as he recoiled in fear with a small gasp. The electrical conduit just laughed and pulled out the circuit board that had been put into the dash. Throwing it out, the villain fed itself into the slot it had occupied and all the interior lights began glowing red. Slowly, the damage on the T-Car disappeared and was soon restored to mint condition. However, the white bodywork was now an angry gray, the blue circuit trim had turned red, and the windows and windshield were tinted black. The headlights, narrowed into fierce slits, blazed to life as the engine revved.

The two mechanics growled softly as they stared the T-Car down across the empty yards of asphalt.

"**Only way to stop Overload is to **_**destroy**_** your precious car!**" The Overload possessed T-Car taunted before it surged forward with a horrid squeal of rubber.

Kylar and Cyborg stood their ground as the brunette engulfed his signature power over his arms. Before he could do anything, his bionic partner placed his left hand on his shoulder. "No. I'll do it." Cyborg said softly as he brought out his cannon and aimed it straight ahead.

Kylar didn't respond. He only closed his eyes and dispelled his aura as he heard a blast from the titanium teens' cannon fire. The charging possessed vehicle took the full force of the blast, blowing off the entire body of the car, as well as the tires, leaving the axles and undercarriage a mass of twisted skidding metal.

A piece of debris rolled across the ground, past Gizmo's fuzzy dice, and stopped at the two Titans' feet. Overload's circuit-board face lied there, but the rest of its body had dissipated.

"**Overload… overloaded.**" The villainous circuit board groaned wearily as it closed its' eye.

0-0

After an incredibly eventful night, the morning sun began it ascent over the horizon. The three Titans watched as two prison guards hauled a cuffed and grumbling Gizmo toward the open doors of a second prison van. Inside, Cash and Sammy had also been apprehended.

The sight of the midget being tossed into the van caused Sammy to laugh. "You got busted." Cash teased.

"So did you, you brainless stinkbombs!" The tiny teen yelled as he passed the two delinquents.

The core of Overload was tossed in after the three auto thieves, and the doors were closed.

As the prison van departed, Cyborg and Raven stood among the T-Car's remains while Kylar walked thorugh them, as if searching for something.

"She's gone." The saddened bionic Titan sighed, "Gone forever."

"Maybe. Maybe not." The mage began, "These are just parts. The thing you loved about that car, the thing that made her special, that came from inside you." She finished as she pointed ahead.

A few feet from the two, the brunette was crouched over something before he stood up. "Hey, guys! Look at what I found!" He grinned, as he held up the original circuit board, completely intact.

Cyborg gasped happily and smiled as he ran over to his friend.

0-0

After a long night of wasting time and chasing cars, it's good to unwind for a bit and indulge in the things that make you happy. That couldn't be truer for the two grease monkeys that inhabited Titans Tower. Nothing but scrap auto parts and tools flooded the garage floor while the sound of mechanical work filled the air. A bit of spot welding was carried out on what looked to be a metal frame, sheet metal was cut to make a body panel, and a shock absorber was set in place with a hubcap being bolted on. Next, a hand reached over and installed a red taillight. An engine was lowered from an overhead crane and once set in place, a torque wrench screwed in a couple of bolts.

Finally complete with the engine, Cyborg lifted himself from under the hood of the newly rebuilt T-Car with a black-jacketed figure wearing a welding mask standing to his left. The bionic Titan passed the torque in his hand to his right and closed the lid. With the car completely rebuilt, the figure removed the welding mask from his head to reveal Kylar. Satisfied, the two male teens traded each other a big, exuberant smile before they faced the third person that helped them. Raven was standing next to the car; her grease-smeared face and the implement she took from the metallic Titan told of the help she had provided. Just like her two taller friends, she gave them-for the first time, at least in the real world-a big, exuberant smile of her own.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Oh man, I feel terrible. After making you all wait so long for another chapter, _this_ is what you get? A filler chapter?**

**Yep, that's right. A filler chapter. I hope you all can forgive me. I've just been so busy with things lately that I haven't found the time to be able to write as often as I'd like to. It's nothing major that's affecting my life, just a lot of work and schooling.**

**I know you're all probably thinking; "DAX, what's the big idea? I've waited long and hard for you to post a chapter, when are you going to post a good one? It's not like I'm reading this because you're a good writer or anything, I'm just bored." **

**While I understand you're pain and frustration, please understand that I am trying and I haven't forgotten about you all. Whether you know it or not, even though I have no idea who any of you are, you're all very special people to me and for that I thank you for taking the time to read this. I promise the season one finale will be good, or at least as good as I can make it.**

**Now that I got that out of the way, remember to write a review if you want to, and if you have any questions or suggestions, PM me. Believe me, I always enjoy hearing your thoughts. For those of you just joining us on this journey, welcome. For those who are returning, thank you so much, you're the greatest.**

**And... yeah, that's everything for right now. **

**Until next time, See You Space Cowboys.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the DC Universe nor do I own anything from Teen Titans. Any other references made belong to their respective owners. Again I own nothing.**


	14. Apprentice Pt I

**Author's Note:**

**Okay, as promised, here is part one of the two part season finale. I hope you're all ready for this because I tried my best to get this out to you as an apology for making you all wait so long for updates. Hopefully I did a good enough job, and you all feel entertained once you finish reading it.**

**On to the things I normally say in the beginning. Remember to write a review if you want to, and to follow and favorite if you deem the story good enough. If you have any questions or suggestions, PM me, I love hearing your thoughts. To those of you joining us on this journey, let me just say, "How are you doing?" To those returning, thank you you're all the best.**

**Whew! Okay let's get on with this thing!**

* * *

Robin chased Slade across a rocky landscape under the starry night sky. During the pursuit, the masked villain leapt across a deep crevasse, then leapt to a rock formation in an attempt to evade the young Titan. With Robin still close behind him, Slade hurdled over another fissure and dropped over the edge of a mesa before making a beeline for a high, flat peninsula studded with several tower-like formations. There was a narrow path leading to it, but he forwent this in favor of a single long, high jump. The Boy Wonder did likewise, landing in a crouch, before coming up for a wary look around.

"Dangerous behavior, Robin." Slade taunted as he stepped out from behind a rock, "You must be very eager to see me. I'm flattered."

"I'm not here to see you." The young Titan stated evenly, "I'm here to _stop_ you." He and his opponent stepped closer and circled each other.

"Hmm. But how can you stop me, when you don't even know what I'm planning?" The villainous mercenary asked, in a rather teasing manner.

"Like _this_." Robin rushed in with a savage kick.

The masked villain easily dodged the attack as well as the follow-up punch that smashed a chunk of rock from one of the towers. The two sparred a bit, after which Robin found himself on the defensive and tried a charging punch. Slade caught his fist and hurled him against another pillar, but Robin rebounded quickly and tried a punch that pulverized more rock. One strike after another missed its mark but kicked up clouds of stone dust. The mercenary's eye glowed briefly during this string of attacks; at the end of it, he landed a powerful kick that sent the Titan tumbling across the ground. He quickly picked himself up and fought back, but each punch was blocked. After deflecting a punch, Slade delivered a blow with enough force that sent the spiky-haired teen skidding across the ground.

Once Robin collected his bearings, he stood up with a birdarang in each hand and quickly threw them at his target. Slade stood his ground with arms crossed in front of himself. In a quick flash, the villain deflected each of the projectiles, sending them to smash into two separate towers. The formations began crumbling, and, one by one, all of the rock towers toppled over in a cloud of dust that covered the entire area. Inside the haze, Robin stepped through to survey the place. His eyes popped when he looked off to his right before he quickly sidled off.

"Excellent, Robin." The Boy Wonder heard Slade's voice call out to him as he passed some of the crumbled formations. "We appear to be evenly matched and equally ruthless." Robin continued searching for his enemy, struggling to see anything through the thick cloud. "Not surprising. You and I are _very_ much alike."

At the end of his line, the dust cleared, revealing the villain to be standing directly behind the masked Titan. Robin quickly whirled around to face him, "I'm _nothing_ like you!" The boy barked as he threw an uppercut that connected squarely with his opponents' metal-covered jaw.

"Ugh!" Slade grunted as he crashed to the ground.

"You're a criminal, a _psychopath_!" Robin growled as he pulled his beaten foe up to his face, "All you care about is destruction!"

"And all you care about, you destroy." Slade returned, gesturing off to his left. The victorious fighter looked in the direction and saw the shattered debris left from the brawl. The base of one smashed pinnacle resembled that of Cyborg's head. He then scanned the rest of the shattered remains and saw the broken likenesses of the other four Titans.

"No!" Robin cried; horrified at the destruction he committed. "Who _are_ you?!" He screamed as he tore the mask from Slade's face and threw it behind him. Once the mask was gone, he stared in bug-eyed shock at the revelation.

The face behind that smooth expanse of steel was _his_. The duplicate laughed heartily in the villain's voice, haunting the young teen as he released his grip on the villain and backed away.

0-0

"*****_**GASP**_*****" Robin bolted upright with a gasp of terror. He quickly scanned his surrounding area and found himself seated at his worktable in his room. The entire proceedings that had just occurred were just a very bad dream. Having realized that there was nothing to worry about, he tried catching his breath as sweat ran down his face. Just as he softened is breathing, he heard the door slide open. He turned around and saw his chromatic friend standing there.

"It's him." Cyborg told him. "It's Slade."

0-0

It was just before daybreak. The Titans were gathered in the Operations Center before the window screen, watching a video feed of Slade's face. Robin was standing behind a console that probably controlled the screen while his teammates stood at his sides. In the video, the heroes noticed that the villain was standing in some sort of industrial area.

"_Good morning, Teen Titans_." The smooth voice of their nemesis greeted them, "_I _do_ hope I didn't wake you_."

"What are you, an insomniac?" Beast Boy yawned deeply as he asked, "Who calls at five in the morning-ow!" He cried as Raven elbowed him in the side to cut him off.

"What do you want?" The angry leader demanded.

"_Well, that's precisely what you've been trying to find out, isn't it__?_" Slade responded through the screen, "_And in spite of _all_ your efforts, you're still in the dark about my intentions. Disappointing, Robin, I expected a little more from you__._" The villain mocked in his incredibly chilling voice.

Robin's eyes narrowed at the words, "Like I care what you-"

"_But since you've been unable to discover my plan__,_" The mastermind interjected, "_I suppose I'll just have to reveal it myself__._" He gestured to his right. The video feed panned away from him and showed two of his commando robots standing next to a large object covered by a tarp. "_I'm sure you're all familiar with the concept of a chronoton detonator__._" The tarp was pulled away as Slade said this, revealing a large, egg-like piece of machinery with a couple of red lights set into its surface. The upper portion telescoped toward the ceiling, giving a view of the circuitry inside and more sets of lights.

"No!" Cyborg cried as Starfire gasped in shock.

"Uh-oh." Raven muttered worriedly.

"No way!" Beast Boy exclaimed. Realizing he had no idea what was going on, the changeling turned to the brunette who happened to be standing next to him. "Um, what's a crouton detonator?" He asked.

"It eradicates all chronotons within a localized area, utterly destroying the temporal component of the space-time continuum." Kylar explained.

Despite his best efforts, the entire explanation flew right over the green teens' head as a question mark popped up above him, "Hmm?" Beast Boy groaned quizzically.

"It stops time. Permanently." The blue mage simplified, causing the shape-shifter to cry out before fainting.

"If he triggers that thing downtown, it'll freeze-frame the entire city." The titanium African teen explained.

"Tell me where!" The Boy Wonder growled as he slammed his fists into the panel.

"_You're a clever boy, Robin. I'm sure you and your little friends can figure it out__._" Slade affirmed as he held up a transmitter, "_However, since I control the detonation, time is _not_ on your side__._" At the end of his sentence, the screen filled with static, cutting the feed.

The masked Titan slammed his right fist down on the computer keyboard with a frustrated grunt. "Fan out! Find it! Shut it down!" He barked the orders as he stormed toward the door. Before he got anywhere, however, Beast Boy and Cyborg moved in front of him, blocking his path.

Hesitant at what he was about to say, the green teen tugged on his collar, "Hey, uh, maybe you should stay here and… coordinate the search." He suggested as a big drop of sweat rolled down his temple.

"What?" Robin asked flatly.

"Man, when it comes to Slade, you've got issues." Cyborg indicated as he pointed a finger at the leaders' temple and twirled it in the classic 'this guy has a screw loose' gesture. "Might be better for the team if you sit this one out."

"No." Robin asserted as he brushed past the two guards, "There's too much at stake for me to-"

"Robin…" Starfire called out softly, stopping the Boy Wonder in his tracks. "We have not forgotten the last time you faced-"

"I made a mistake, Starfire. It won't happen again" The Titan in question confirmed as he turned to leave again, "I can handle it. I promise."

"Would you at least like to know where to look?" The four Titans heard the voice of their magical teammate ask. They turned back and saw Raven and Kylar standing by the keyboard, staring at a freeze frame of the robots and the detonator on the screen.

"Looks like Slade gave us more information than he realized." The brunette said as he tapped on the keyboard. The screen zoomed in on a patch of the detonator as a set of gridlines superimposed on the image; the team noticed a small blurry image on the metal surface when it got closer. "Here, in this reflection."

"Ooh, squiggly lines. _Way_ informative." Beast Boy quipped as he stood next to the taller Titan.

A vein popped out of the brunettes' forehead as he continued typing away. The blurry reflection refined into clearer backwards text. Once it was flipped around, it read-

"Pier Forty-One!" The Tamaranean exclaimed.

"The docks!" Robin stated as he turned to leave the room. Cyborg, Starfire, and Raven soon followed.

"You're right, B." Kylar grinned as he rustled the green teens' hair, "_Way_ informative." He joked as he also departed.

Beast Boy only grinned and chuckled nervously at having been shown up before he ran to catch up with the rest of his team.

0-0

Dawn began rearing its' head as the Titans reached their destination. After locating Pier 41, and the same warehouse that matched the one from Slade's video, each team member approached the grated door. Cyborg whipped out his sonic cannon and unleashed a beam. The doors were blasted away, and Robin dashed in with his fighting staff in hand. He extended it as the others followed him, ready to throw down.

However, what greeted the six teenagers was something none of them expected.

"Empty?" Starfire cried.

"Oh, man!" The metallic teen groaned at the realization that absolutely no traces of Slade or the detonator were inside the warehouse.

"I don't believe this!" The spiky-haired teen growled.

To add insult to injury, Slade's robotic strongmen leapt down from the ceiling, landing on the overhead beams as well as all over the floor. A few more even slid across behind them and blocked the exit.

"Well, they just came out of nowhere." The black-jacketed Titan stated as he examined the enemies.

"Now what do we do?" The shape-shifter asked.

"We fight." Robin answered as the opposing forces started closing in. "Titans! GO!" The leader ordered as the others complied, charging into the large group of enemies. The Boy Wonder moved so fast that he almost seemed to be everywhere at once, knocking out one robot after another before they even had time to react.

A couple of commandos backed up before Cyborg's headlong dash, his right arm cocked for a punch. Before he could deliver his devastating haymaker, Robin moved in first and dispatched the two robots quickly. "Hey! I was gonna do that!" The metallic Titan protested as his shorter teammate leapt off to attack another group.

Elsewhere, Starfire primed a few starbolts in her hands, rose into the air, and performed a spinning strafe as more of the metallic musclemen surrounded her. However, the spiky-haired traffic light zipped in and wiped out the entire lot. She just stared incredulously after him once he moved on to the next group.

Next up, Kylar found himself being charged by three of the cybernetic minions. He summoned his aura around his arms and readied himself in a fighting stance. But just as his three opponents got close enough, two birdarangs flew through the air and crashed into the faces of two of the commandos, effectively dispatching them. The third one soon found its' face struck by a steel-toed boot before crashing into the ground. The aura manipulator gave his leader a bemused stare as he watched the shorter teen run off to fight more robots.

Beast Boy was hemmed in and gave a surprised little yelp before the enemies dog-piled on him. Soon after, the changeling morphed into a bull and bucked the overpowering enemies away. He snorted in preparation to charge, but just as with the three previous teens, Robin swooped into the fray and put them all down for the count without breaking a sweat. The green bull shot the Boy Wonder a startled look as he left.

In midair, Raven began her chant, about to destroy a group of minions with a single attack. "Azarath Metrion Zin-" She had no chance to finish the spell since the overactive Titan was there in a flash and blew the living circuits out of the commandos menacing her. Having no need to continue her chant, the mage just looked around, deadpan but slightly bewildered, and watched him leap across the warehouse to engage another group.

The rest of the team just watched in sheer confusion, standing against one of the buildings' walls, as their leader effortlessly disarming the enemies. A piece of a commandos' head tumbled past them, followed by a beaten attacker and Robin himself, causing the five to wince as the sound of pounding grew louder.

The Boy Wonder jumped onto the fallen robot, whose head was partially smashed away, and started bashing the remains of the metal skull with his staff.

"Uh, Robin?" Cyborg called out to their leader as he and the other Titans approached, "I think you got him."

"Yes, please. You may stop now." Starfire pleaded as she walked over to her enraged friend. It wasn't until she put her hands on his that his walloping ceased. "We are victorious."

"Slade's got his finger on the button, and we've got _nothing_!" The masked vigilante growled as he stood up and retracted his staff. "Does that _sound_ like a victory to you?" He added before stalking away, leaving the others staring after him worriedly.

0-0

Outside the warehouse, the sun slowly rose over the horizon as the sea air blew over the docks. After dispatching all the robots, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Kylar stood in front of the doors the titanium bruiser blew out, trying to figure out their next move.

"Okay. We know the chronoton detonator _was_ here." The bionic teen said as he examined a panel on his right forearm, "Now we just have to figure out where it _went_."

"How are we going to do that?" The brunette asked as he scratched his chin.

"That's easy." The greenling grinned, "We should split up and-"

"Waste hours searching only to come up empty-handed?" Raven interjected flatly as she approached the trio.

"Well, when you say it like that…" Beast Boy trailed off as he scratched the back of his head.

"Raven is right. We must find some way to track the device." The auburn-haired teen said as she touched down next to the group.

Robin approached the rest of the team on the end of the Tamaraneans' words, and then cocked an eyebrow quizzically at the sound of echoing footsteps. In the distance, a man was walking between two of the warehouses; a large shadow was cast on the wall behind him.

"FREEZE!" The fervid Titan shouted as he chased the possible suspect with the other Titans quickly chasing after him. This spooked the poor man as he shot off in the opposite direction. Before he could escape, a birdarang flashed into view and embedded itself in the concrete. Robin followed the projectile down, landing in front of the man, and threw him against the wall. "Tell me everything you know about this!" He snarled as he held up a small crest with Slade's _**S**_ insignia on it.

"I… I…" The frightened chap could only stutter and mumble inarticulately.

"Answer me! NOW!" The Boy Wonder shouted as he shoved the man into the wall, harder.

"I've never seen it before!" The terrified man cried, "I don't know anything! Honest!"

Once he finished saying this, two hands grabbed Robin by the shoulders, pried him away from the innocent bystander, and threw him on the ground. Before he could get up, the masked teen felt his right arm get pinned behind him as a weight rested itself on his back. "You _said_ you could handle it." He recognized the voice to be Kylar's and noticed the others approaching.

"I _am_ handling it." The pinned Titan growled as he struggled to get free.

He then felt a hand grab the back of his head and forcibly turn it to see the terrified man slumped over on the ground with Starfire kneeling next to him, trying to comfort him. "Is _that_ what 'handling it' looks like?" Kylar asked angrily.

The leader had no response as the aura manipulator eased his grip to let the teen up. "We're wasting time." Robin growled as he strode away from the brunette. The innocent man quickly stood up and fled the scene before the spiky-haired Titan could harm him again.

"You know, just 'cause we're trying to catch Slade doesn't mean you have to _act_ like him!" Beast Boy shouted angrily after him.

This hit the Boy Wonder in the worst possible spot as he stopped dead in his tracks. "Don't you _ever_ compare me to him!" He shouted as he whirled around and walked back to the group, "He's trying to destroy the city. I'm trying to save it!"

His words lingered in the air as the other five Titans stared blankly at him, not at _all_ convinced of his reasoning for overreacting. That moment was then shot and burned when Starfire let off a violent sneeze, accompanied by a starbolt that shot from her nose. When her sneeze finished, all five of the others were stunned and smoking from the blast.

"Gesundheit." The cloaked mage muttered.

"Forgive me. I am allergic to metallic chromium." The alien teen apologized, her face flush and her voice sounding a bit congested. "There must be a source near- AH!" She got ready to sneeze again. This time everyone bailed before the shot was let off. "CHOO!" She let the nasal starbolt free, causing a gigantic mushroom cloud of dust to engulf the area. "Sorry." The sick Titan groaned as the smoke cleared.

The other five soon returned; Beast Boy from behind a trash can, Kylar popping out of a wooden crate, Robin rappelling down from the warehouse roof, and Raven passing through the wall. Cyborg was the only one who simply walked up to her.

"Interesting." The bionic awed as he looked down at a screen on his forearm. On it, there was a graphical readout on his panel.

"Not really." Starfire sniffed as she wiped her nose, "On my world, chromium allergies are quite common."

"No. The key component of the chronoton detonator is a metallic chromium chore, which means-" Cyborg explained as he closed the panel on his arm.

"Starfire can track it!" Beast Boy grinned at the realization. The other Titans gave her a confident stare while she just sniffled at the thought of having to subject herself to her allergies.

0-0

Finally having their tracking device, Starfire led the group underground, leading them through a dark and moist sewer tunnel. Before passing around a bend, the Tamaranean unloaded another high-powered sneeze.

"I believe it is this way." She groaned, her voice congested. The others were behind her and threw up their arms to protect themselves from the blast. After a moment, they continued slogging through the water.

At the back of the group, Robin looked uneasy as he gave his friends a worried look. "Look, guys, uh-about earlier." He called out to them.

They turned around to face him, but before he could continue speaking, Raven cut him off, "It'll have to wait." She said as she pointed ahead of them. Once they faced in the direction she was pointing in, they noticed a small speedboat in the tunnel, with the detonator, back in its original compact form, loaded in the back. A commando guarding the rig caught sight of the group and quickly moved to work a panel on the dash.

"Titans! GO!" The Boy Wonder shouted as he ran to intercept the boat. Beast Boy transformed into a hawk as they charged.

Before they could reach the device, the robotic minion pressed on the throttle, causing the boat to speed off down the tunnel.

"Quick! We can't let him get away!" Robin called out. To everyone's surprise, a section of the wall smashed out next to him, and a large stone hand reached through and dragged him away.

"Robin!" Starfire cried worriedly as the group peered into the hole. Inside, they saw a very large and blocky villain they hadn't seen in a while: Cinderblock was the one who grabbed their leader.

"Get the detonator! GO!" Robin shouted as he leapt over the hulking stone behemoth and delivered a few kicks to its head.

All but Starfire and Kylar followed his order, they watched worriedly at the fighting. "Star! Ky! You heard the man!" Cyborg called back to them.

"End it quickly and catch up!" The brunette shouted before he and his orange-skinned teammate reluctantly set off after the rest of the group.

The masked Titan leapt from one support column to another and stayed just ahead of Cinderblock, who destroyed each one with a single blow.

"Only fair to warn you-you caught me on a bad day!" The Boy Wonder threatened as he touched down on the ground. With a growl, the stone behemoth charged the much smaller teen as he did the same. Before the two collided, Robin vaulted high over his opponent and hurled a pair of bolas-weighted balls connected with a rope. These landed on the head and tangled up around it. Dazed by the projectile, Cinderblock struggled to remove it while the spiky-haired Titan took advantage of the situation and delivered a devastating flying spin kick.

0-0

Further inside the tunnel, the speedboat zoomed ahead, staying just ahead of a flying Starfire, who was carrying Cyborg, with Raven, Kylar, and Beast Boy flying right behind her. The robot pressed one of a row of buttons on the control panel after glancing back at his pursuers.

"_Defense mode activated_." A computerized voice confirmed as the words appeared on a small screen above the buttons. As a result, two lasers on the stern opened up with a barrage of shots that forced everyone to swerve back and forth. The chase moved around a junction as Starfire kept dodging the shots.

"I will _not_ be having attitude from a boat!" Cyborg yelled as he broke out his sonic cannon. However, the fusillade of bullets never let up, causing the flying team to continue weaving through the air to keep from getting blasted.

0-0

Back to the leaders' fight, Robin landed in a crouch, and then pushed off from the ground for a flying roundhouse kick that staggered the rock villain. Another kick, a crushing left hook, and Robin touched down in front of the dazed enemy and seized him. Cinderblock was then thrown down onto his back.

"Where is he!?" He demanded as he climbed atop the monsters' chest. "Where's-huh?" A beeping from his opponents' right hand drew the victorious teens' attention. He quickly glanced over to the source and saw a small tracking device in Cinderblock's open hand. Robin climbed off the villain and picked up the item. The screen showed a map of the area with two flashing dots. Upon closer inspection, the masked Titan noticed one dot as an arrow pointing to another dot in the shape of a stylized _**S**_. Realizing what the flashing mark represented, a cold smile stretched across his face, now knowing exactly where to find his archenemy.

0-0

Deep inside an underground lair, far away from any fighting, Slade watched on a large monitor as the Titans continued their pursuit of the speedboat. He was surrounded by large machinery that worked continuously without rest, releasing sounds of clanking metal throughout the room.

"Hurry, young Titans. Your time is running out." He advised to no one in particular. On a high catwalk behind him, a door blew out in a giant explosion, sending a large cloud of smoke into the room. Slade didn't even _flinch_ at the explosion.

"Actually," A voice came from inside the smoke, "we just went into _overtime_." The smoke cleared to reveal Robin as he entered the lair.

"Robin. Welcome. I've been expecting you for some time." The chilling mercenary greeted as the young Titan dropped to his level. "I was beginning to wonder if Cinderblock was too much of a challenge." He turned around to face the boy and held up the transmitter to the detonator. "Looking for this?" He asked as he made his approach. "Well…" He placed the device on a spotlighted patch of floor, "…here it is." He backed away and stood on the opposite side of the transmitter. "If you want it, come and take it."

Each contender stared at each other with a determined look. Robin bore his teeth in a silent snarl as he charged straight for the device and went into a mighty somersaulting leap. As he sailed closer, he pulled his right fist back and unleashed a cry of pure rage.

He didn't even attempt to grab the transmitter, instead opting for the chance to take the menacing mercenary down once and for all. However, before he could connect with his flying right hook, a figure swooped down and struck him in the side, sending him flying across the room and crashing into some of the larger machinery.

After collecting himself, Robin looked back at the villain and saw another figure approaching him. The figure was smaller and thinner in frame, but sported similar armor as his archenemy. The figure also looked much more womanly and around his age, with long, flowing white hair and an orange and black bandana covering the top half of her head, only revealing the right eye. Two katanas were sheathed on her back.

As the girl approached, she drew the two swords and readied herself for an attack. "Of course, I wasn't going to make it _easy_." Slade provoked, standing behind the younger, female version of himself.

With a growl, the infuriated Boy Wonder picked himself up and charged the girl for another attack.

0-0

Racing down the sewer tunnel, the speedboat unleashed another burst of laser shots at the pursuing heroes. Cyborg returned fire with his cannon, but was whisked off by Starfire as she dodged another fusillade of bullets. One shot from the boat sent the green hawk tumbling out of the air for a bit, before it righted itself and fell in behind a passing Kylar and Raven. Now, the sonic cannon was blazing steadily, putting both of the speedboat's guns out of action in short order.

The commando at the helm opened up the throttle and zoomed ahead, but failed to evade his pursuers as the flying Tamaranean gradually pulled even to hold her bionic friend over the deck.

"Thanks for the lift!" Cyborg grinned in determination as he gave his mode of transportation a 'thumbs-up.' She let go of him and trailed behind the speeding vessel. As soon as the bionics' feet touched the deck, he bolted toward the commando, who started punching buttons furiously.

"_Autopilot engaged._" The computer on the dash confirmed as the words appeared on the small screen.

As soon as the commando finished punching the buttons, Cyborg clamped his right hand on the robot's shoulder. The minion shot the bulking African a surprised glance before he found himself launched over the stern and sent splashing into the water.

On the deck, the wheel was turning itself under the control of the automatic pilot program. Cyborg seized it and tried to steer manually, but only succeeded in tearing it away from its base. Starfire then landed on the deck and stared wide-eyed at the damage. Tossing the wheel aside, the titanium Titan began hammering several buttons in an attempt to stop the watercraft.

"_Invalid code._" The computer stated as it displayed the two words on the small screen. After a moment, the speedboat began swerving back and forth, giving the two yelling Titans a radical ride.

"How does one halt this vehicle?!" The auburn-haired teen cried under Cyborg's constant yelling.

Thinking quickly, the genius, semi-robotic teen seized the computer panel and ripped it from the dashboard entirely. Surprisingly, this proved to be effective as the speedboat came to a stop once it emerged into a large open chamber. Starfire smiled placidly as Cyborg regarded the ruined hardware. Soon after, Kylar and Raven landed on the deck, followed by the green hawk that reverted back to his human form.

"_Please_ tell me that's not how you're planning to stop the detonator." The mage deadpanned as she noticed the separated panel in her friends' hand.

Surprised, the bionic in question blushed a bit as a big drop of sweat rolled down his temple, "Uh…"

"You _do_ know how to stop it, don't you?" Beast Boy asked, presumably knowing what his answer would be.

"How hard could it be?" Cyborg questioned as he threw the panel overboard and crossed the deck to the detonator. Kneeling next to it, he reached toward the surface and was surprised when the housing telescoped upward. The surprise caused the bionic to fall backwards with a grunt. "Ooh." He groaned, realizing just how far he was in over his head.

"What are we gonna do?" The aura manipulator asked as he walked forward and knelt next to his friend.

"Whatever we do, we should do it before Slade decides to _trigger_ this thing." Raven cautioned the two boys.

0-0

Robin tumbled across the ground after being sent by a forceful attack. Getting himself upright, he noticed the transmitter still sitting under the spotlight and ran towards it. A huge leap carried him closer, but the female assailant struck him broadside with a flying kick. Once he landed, the masked teen turned to face his opponent.

"You disappoint me, Robin." Slade sighed as he walked behind the girl, "I thought you would do better than this."

With a growl, Robin drew two birdarangs from a pouch on his belt and threw them at the girl. She quickly deflected the projectiles with her swords, but this left her distracted for a brief moment. The Boy Wonder threw another bolas that tangled itself around the female fighter, pinning her arms to her sides. He then followed up with a swift roundhouse kick to her face, knocking her swords from her hands and sending her skidding across the ground.

"Much better. You're even starting to _fight_ like me." The mastermind congratulated. The girl quickly freed herself of her binds and readied herself to attack again. "Ravager." She heard the mercenary call out. "That's enough." He stated firmly as he approached the girl.

"But I can still-"

"Allow me to _entertain_ myself." Slade interrupted icily as he glared at her.

"As you wish." Ravager reluctantly agreed as she backed away from her master.

Finding it insulting being referred to as nothing more than entertainment, Robin rushed toward the armored villain, but soon found himself on the receiving end of a roundhouse kick that sent him reeling. The melee moved across the floor, with each landing blows in turn. Finding an opening, Slade planted another steel boot across the Boy Wonder's chest that sent him skidding across the ground. Snarling in rage, the Titan got his head clear and the two continued their spar… that is until the masked villain caught one of his attackers' fists.

"Good technique." The criminal complimented before bending the spiky-haired Titans' arm sharply at the elbow. The sound of bones grinding against each other echoed through the chamber as Robin yelled in pain. The hold quickly turned into a throw that sent the hero skidding across the floor, slamming into a wall at the end of it. As he woozily got to his feet, he heard Slade's footsteps stepping closer and closer to him. "Good, but not perfect."

His head clear again, Robin charged across the floor as he released another yell of pure fury from his throat. He launched himself into the air, but one of those steel-gloved fists whistled out and punched him squarely in the breadbasket, knocking all the air out of his lungs. The young man hung in the air for a moment, supported by the fist that stopped him cold, before slowly collapsing.

Seeing the poor teen beaten and lying in a heap was enough to make Slade chuckle.

0-0

Very cautiously, the Titans gathered around the detonator. After locating a small square panel, Raven removed the screws holding it in place via her telekinesis. Once those were gone, Cyborg slowly reached over and removed the panel. Behind it was a rotating, glowing red sphere.

"_The chromium core_." The metallic teen whispered, so as to not alarm anyone. "_Very unstable. No sudden moves_." He then held up the removed panel where Beast Boy transformed into an octopus, reached over, and took it from him before setting it aside gingerly and turning back into his human form.

As the bionic reached toward the machinery, Starfire got ready to sneeze-her allergy exacerbated by being this close to that much chromium-and threw everyone into a panic. Thinking quickly, the blue-cloaked Titan created a shield around the Tamaranean's head in an effort to contain the force of the coming blast. Luckily, it held, and the result of the blast blew her hair wildly out of place.

"Please continue." The alien sniffed as she shook her hair back into place. Everyone gave her a worried look, but she returned the stares with a wide grin and an embarrassed little giggle, signifying that she was better.

Returning his attention to the detonator, Cyborg held up his forearm, which now showed a panel with a circuit diagram of the device. Underneath the screen, three lights began flashing. "Okay." He said as he extended an acetylene torch from his left forefinger, "Now all we have to do is decouple the-"

"Cy, wait!" Kylar voiced. But it was too late, as the chromatic Titan used the torch to sever one of the cables running to the core. Once it was severed, the core began beeping and rotating very quickly.

"Well _that_ doesn't sound good." Beast Boy identified as they all stared at the core with shocked expressions.

0-0

Back inside Slade's lair, Robin tumbled across the floor, lying there for a few seconds as he tried to catch his breath. Once he did, he slammed his left fist against the tiles with a loud groan.

"I understand your frustration, Robin." The overpowering menace sympathized as he approached the down Titan, "You hate losing as much as I do. One of the many qualities we have in common."

Once again, the masked teens' sorest spot had been poked too hard, and he leapt off the ground into an uppercut that lifted his opponent clear off his feet. Two more punches sent the armored criminal genius to the floor, but he caught himself in midair and landed in a crouch before running off. Giving him no quarter, Robin landed a string of savage blows that dropped him flat on his back.

Ravager was about to charge the Boy Wonder, but a hand up from her master stopped her right in her tracks.

Victorious, the Titan stepped over to the transmitter and picked it up. "It's over, Slade!" He declared as he looked at the device.

"On the contrary, Robin." The mercenary voiced from the shadows as the small device sparked.

"Huh?" Robin uttered as he stared down in total confusion; the transmitter broke apart in his hand with a small crackle of electricity.

"This is _only_ the beginning." Slade eerily affirmed as he stepped out from a dark recess among the machinery.

"Where's the _real_ trigger?!" The Boy Wonder demanded.

"Trigger? There is no trigger-because there is no detonator." The villain revealed. Robin's eyes widened with shock at his words, his mind filling with thoughts about the safety of his friends.

0-0

Back to the rest of the team, the detonator core was still beeping and spinning wildly. Beast Boy's teeth were chattering a mile a minute as the three other teens stared over Cyborg's shoulders.

"_Moment of truth, y'all_." The designated bomb disarmer whispered as he held up a finger torch. "_Everybody ready?_"

"I can't watch!" The greenling cried as he covered his eyes. Even though he was scared, he still parted his fingers to give his left eye a clear field of vision.

Before the metallic Titan could rake his flame across a couple of other cables, Kylar placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him, "Wait." He called out. "What if Slade predicted this and switched the cables?" This suggestion just made everyone worry even more. "Try that one." The brunette offered as he pointed to a cable on the far end of the core.

Holding his breath, Cyborg followed his teammates' instructions and severed the far end cable. Once it was detached, the core stopped its activity entirely. The red glow faded and left the sphere looking like an ordinary metal ball.

Beast Boy, Raven, Kylar, and Cyborg sighed loudly and visibly with relief as Starfire smiled happily. The moment was short lived, however, as a loud, urgent alarm went off and elicited gasps and wide-eyed stares from all five. The core started spinning and glowing again, and red lights flowed from the ball through the cables that were not cut.

The alarm slowed down a bit as the red lights on the detonator's housing started pulsating. The topmost section retracted slightly as a result.

"We blew it!" The shape-shifting Titan screeched loudly. "We'll be frozen in time forever!"

The alarm gave way to a steady drone, and the whole device shorted out and crumbled into a pile of junk. Beast Boy was just about ready to throw a fit, but stopped when the rig fell silent.

"Um… why are we not frozen in time forever?" The scared green teen asked.

"Because this _wasn't_ a chronoton detonator." Cyborg responded as he examined the device, "It was a _fake_!"

As the team tried figuring out what exactly was going on, a mounted gun popped out behind them at the prow, and swept back and forth, strafing all five Titans and knocking them overboard. One by one, their heads broke the surface, showing no apparent damage from the assault.

"BLEEH!" Beast Boy shook off the water from his head with a cry of revulsion. "So aside from the nasty taste of sewer water in my mouth, I think I'm okay." He explained as his tongue hung out of his mouth.

"Diagnostic sensors say I'm just fine." Cyborg confirmed as he checked his forearm panel before knocking water out of his ears.

"I don't feel any different either." Kylar added.

"Whatever that beam was supposed to do, it didn't do it." Raven chimed as she wrung water out of her hair.

"Then… we are victorious?" Starfire asked happily as she brought her hands together above the water.

0-0

Unbeknownst to the entire group, deep inside their tissue cells, inside their very veins, tiny metal spheres, marked with Slade's _**S**_, attached themselves to their blood cells-deposited by the beam that hit each one of them.

0-0

In a completely different area of the city, a hulking figure watched on a bank of monitors as the tiny metal orbs flowed through the veins of his unsuspecting targets.

"Nanoscopic probes, courtesy of a good friend of mine." Slade explained as he approached the row of five monitors, each marked with the name of one of the Titans. The screens showed a picture of the blood vessels and readouts of their vital signs. "The chronoton detonator was merely the bait for a much larger trap." As he continued explaining, a small push-button device extended itself from the inside on his wrist and settled in his hand. "You see, with the push of a button," he teased the button with his thumb as Robin glared at him, "my probes will destroy your friends from the _in_side _out_." Ravager stood at his side, arms behind her back, as he continued speaking.

"You can't control them." The defiant Titan defended, "No matter _what_ you threaten, they'll _never_ obey you."

"This isn't about your friends, Robin. It's about you." Slade admitted as he began circling the young Titan, "It's _always_ been about you."

"What?" Robin voiced his confusion as he watched the criminal walk.

"Sending trouble your way. Leaving cryptic clues for you to unravel." Slade listed, "I was testing you. For some time now, I have been searching for… apprentices. Capable people to follow in my footsteps." He said as he leaned into the Boy Wonder's face, "And, Robin, I've chosen you. Congratulations."

The masked Titan was disgusted at the thought, "No way would I _ever_ work for-" However; his bravado fell silent when the manipulative genius held up the button, his thumb just barely clearing it.

"If you join me, if you swear to serve me, if you never speak to your friends again," Slade frigidly stated, "I will allow them to live." Robin stared in mute fear at this ultimatum. "_But_… if you disobey even the smallest request, I will annihilate them, Robin. And I'll make you _watch_." The terrified Titan gaped at the villains' words. "So, do we have a deal?"

0-0

Finally free of the sewers, the other five Titans emerged from a manhole into the streets of Jump City. The events of the day lasted for so long, that the sun had set long ago, giving way to the nightlife.

"Robin?" Starfire spoke into her communicator as Cyborg helped beast Boy up onto the street. "Robin, please respond!" After a moment of silence, she lowered it from her face and turned toward the others, "Why does he not answer?"

"His locator's been deactivated. We have no way to find him." The African Titan explained.

"Not good." The changeling stated as he brushed himself off.

"You don't think Cinderblock got the better of him, do you?" Kylar asked.

"Robin, please. You must answer." The worried Tamaranean said into the communicator again. Still not getting a response, she tried again, "Robin!"

0-0

"_Please respond__!_" Starfire's voice called out through a communicator on Robin's belt.

His normal outfit had been abandoned and draped over a pipe in Slade's darkened lair. Piercing the darkness, a pool of light gleamed from above, silhouetting a figure in the harsh glare. Inside the light, a black glove was pulled on; a steel wrist guard was snapped into place; a belt was buckled under a chest that was orange on the left side and black on the right, with a silver S emblazoned over the heart; a neck piece fastened under the figure's chin with the help of another figure standing behind him. Upon closer inspection, the silhouette resolved into Robin, with Ravager being the one who helped him with the collar. With the outfit complete, the _ex_-Titan resembled a smaller version of Slade.

The normally defiant and calculated Boy Wonder had no words for his predicament. He had no plan, no tactic; nothing that he could think of to save his friends came to him. With that in mind, his countenance portrayed that of a sullen, defeated look.

"I know it seems bad now." The victorious villain said as he stepped into the light behind his new apprentice, next to Ravager. "But trust me, you'll learn to like it." He added as he passed the young teen, stepping back into the shadows.

The veteran apprentice soon followed, leaving Robin alone, standing motionless in the white light from overhead. His expression did not change one bit. The only thoughts running through his mind were those of worry and fear of the wellbeing of his friends as the light shut off above him, surrendering the entire area to the darkness.

* * *

******"_If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away_." **

******-Henry David Thoreau**

**Author's Note:**

**Oh no! It's starting to look grim for our hero as Slade was finally able to bring him over to the dark side, albeit forcibly and against his will, but he succeeded in having our Boy Wonder betray his friends. What will happen? Will the Teen Titans cease to be? Will Slade succeed in much grander sinister plans now that he has one more capable helper?**

**Pfft, if any of you know anything about this show, then you know the answer.**

**Anyway, that's the end of this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it and will return to find out what happens next. Again, if you liked the chapter, remember to write a review if you want to, _I'm_ certainly not forcing anyone. If you have any questions or suggestions, PM me, again I love hearing your thoughts.**

**I want to thank each and every one of you who favorited and followed the story. I know I'm a rather new writer on the site compared to some other people, but having you all liking the story brings warm feelings to my heart. So, I can't thank you all enough, I can only continue releasing chapters and hope you like them.**

**Well, that's it for now. Until next time, See You Space Cowboys.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the DC Universe nor do I own anything from Teen Titans. Any other references made belong to their respective owners, again i own nothing.**


	15. Apprentice Pt II

**Author's Note:  
**

**Hello and welcome, my beautiful people, to the Season 1 finale of Teen Titans: The Bonds We Share. It's been a fun journey and I am so happy that you all could join me.**

**I know I may not be the best writer, since this is my only story on the site and I am simply a humble beginner, but your support and love of the story kept me going because this was just so much fun to write.**

**With that said, remember to write a review if you want, and to follow and favorite if you so choose. If you have any questions or suggestions, PM me, I love hearing your thoughts.**

**And... yeah, let's go!**

* * *

A whole day had passed since Robin disappeared. After successfully disarming the chronoton detonator and realizing it was a fake, the Titans escaped the sewers and tried contacting their leader. Unfortunately, they found that he had fallen off the grid and couldn't be tracked at all. They all tried searching for their missing friend, but every attempt at combing the city led to a dead end. They had assumed the worst, but never gave up looking.

"Robin? Robin! Please, Robin, where are you?" Starfire called out desperately into her communicator as she flew over Jump City. Despite not finding their friend, the team continued their search well into the next day as the sun began setting.

"_Starfire, enough. You've been calling for forty-five minutes__._" Raven spoke through the yellow and black talking device.

"Perhaps if I just try one more-"

"_Come on, Star. If he's gonna pick up, he'd have done it by now__._" Beast Boy cut her off. "_'Sides, you're kinda giving me a headache__._"

"But why does he not respond? Where could he be?" The disheartened Tamaranean asked as she continued flying over the city.

Deep underground, Cyborg and Kylar tried their luck by searching in the sewers again to see if he was still there, since it was the last place they saw Robin before his disappearance.

"Robin and Cinderblock definitely went a few rounds, but I can't tell who won, or where they went." The metal Titan said as he and his partner examined the site of where two combatants battled. A lot of the area had been destroyed, with debris thrown about the place, but no sign of either the Titan or the rock monster was apparent.

"This isn't good. We're coming up empty handed everywhere." Kylar sighed; annoyed at the fact that everywhere they turned gave them nothing to go on. "Any luck on your end, Rae?"

Raven returned to the Tower while the others searched the city. Using the computers in the Ops Center, she typed on a console that showed a map of Jump City. On it, four spots were flashing; one showed a **C**, one a **B**, one an **S**, and one a **K**. "No sign of him here, either." The mage replied, disappointed in her findings. "His locator is offline. I've been monitoring all the frequencies, but he hasn't checked in."

"Oh, we are bad friends!" The auburn-haired teen cried as she flew over more buildings in the city. "We should never have left Robin to do battle alone."

Next to the distressed alien, a green monkey had caught up to her and jumped from roof to roof to help with her search. After a while, though, the monkey stopped and transformed into its' human form. "Yeah, especially since Slade's big doodad was a dud." Beast Boy voiced his displeasure before jumping to a new building.

Back at the Tower, Raven was now studying the schematics of the fake detonator on the console she was currently using. "The chronoton detonator wasn't a dud. It was a decoy to lure us away from Robin. And we fell for it." She explained.

"He played us like a fiddle, and now Sparrow's missing." The annoyed aura manipulator growled as he and his bionic teammate started making their way out of the sewer tunnels.

After hearing Kylar's thoughts, Cyborg slammed his fist against the wall, "I shoulda known that thing was a fake!" He groaned, knowing what the brunette said was true.

"But why? Why did Slade wish to separate us from Robin?" Starfire asked, completely lost in trying to understand the villains' plan.

The changeling also had a hard time following, "And if the detonator was a decoy…"

"What was Slade's real plan?" The cloaked Titan asked. However, before any of them could create a hypothesis, an urgent alarm started ringing throughout the Tower.

"Titans! Trouble!" The titanium teen shouted as he and the brunette ran through the sewer.

0-0

The sun had finally set, leaving the night sky to be claimed by the moon and shrouding the land with darkness. In Jump City, a tall, circular building, with an observation deck set a story or two below its roof, found itself visited by an unexpected guest. Using the shadows for cover, a mysterious figure broke through a panel from the ceiling and dropped into the top floor, recognizing the place to be a darkened laboratory. After scanning the room, the silhouette laid its' eyes upon a glass storage vessel that held a piece of equipment and threw a small sphere with two short arms sticking out from opposite sides at it. Each arm ended in a curved blade, so that the entire device looked like a backwards letter _**S**_. Once the projectile connected with its' target, lights winked around the center logo and formed a ring, exploding in a brilliant flash after they were all illuminated. Once the smoke from the blast cleared, the mysterious thief seized the encased item.

"He's stolen the thermal blaster!" The thief heard a voice shout from outside the room. In an adjoining tunnel, several guards ran into the room with weapons at the ready.

Not wanting to find out how excess the force was going to be, the mysterious silhouette sprinted out of the laboratory. "Stop him!" Another guard shouted as they gave chase.

On the observation deck, the guards opened fire against the fleeing thief. However, before they could land a solid hit on the intruder, he quickly scaled up the wall and disappeared into the darkness.

"Where'd he go?" One guard asked as they stopped to look around for their target. Finding no trace of the thief, the guards continued running through the observatory.

After the guards left the area, the silhouette dropped from the roof and made a break for it in the other direction. But before he could escape, Starfire and Beast Boy slid around the corner and blocked him while Cyborg, Raven, and Kylar appeared behind him, effectively surrounding the burglar.

"Freeze!" The African bionic man shouted.

Instead of complying, the mysterious figure sprinted off along a branching walkway while the Titans gave chase. He soon found himself nearing the end of the line, with nothing between him and a very long drop to the street. The figure stopped and turned to face the team. Once he did, the light from the building came up fully on him for the first time, giving the others a clear view of just whom they were chasing. They were so paralyzed with shock and confusion; it was as though their feet had been nailed to the ground.

Beast Boy was the first to break their silence. "That's not Slade, that's…"

"Robin." Starfire gasped.

"Whoa!"

"No way!"

"When did he…?"

"Robin," The Tamaranean began as she tried approaching the now villainous Boy Wonder, "why are you-"

Before she could finish her question, the ex-leader threw a Slade-styled flyer that exploded in her face, driving her back along the walkway toward the others.

"Yo!" The metallic second in command yelled.

"What is your _deal_?" The shape-shifting Titan shouted.

"_Not a word, Robin. They're not your friends anymore__._" Slade said via small radio receiver that was inside the spiky-haired teens left ear. He wanted to say something, he really did. But no matter what, he knew that if he did _anything_ that went against his new boss' orders, it would be the end for his friends.

As the other five heroes closed in, Robin raised the blaster he just stole and fired at the stretch of walkway between him and them. The resulting explosion brought the team up short and forced a scared yell from Beast Boy.

"What are you doing?" Cyborg asked angrily.

Angry at his former teammates' sudden change in allegiance, Kylar rushed the smoke and leapt through it, hoping to catch the masked teen. "Ky!" The greenling cried as the brunette disappeared.

Once the haze cleared, it revealed the aura manipulator standing alone on the other side of the walkway, facing away from the team. "He's gone." Kylar stated as he hung his head dejectedly.

"Robin…" Starfire murmured, completely crushed at the thought of her friend being evil.

0-0

Deep within the recesses of complete darkness, a single pool of light pierced through. From the shadows, Robin stepped forth and stood in that lone well-lit spot, holding the blaster he just stole.

"Excellent, Robin. I'm pleased." The new apprentice heard the voice of his new master say to him from the dark obscurity. "You're already proving to be the perfect apprentice."

"This deal can't last forever." The resentful teen growled.

"It can. And it _will_." Slade returned before a row of monitors came to life, all showing blank white screens and illuminating the darkness to reveal the lair of the villainous mercenary. Robin turned to face the screens just as the image of the decoy detonator was shown. "The Titans still have no idea that my chronoton detonator was _more_ than a decoy." The mastermind said as clips of the detonator shorting out and the other five Titans staring at the smoking remains flashed across the screen. "Now that my probes are inside their bodies, they could remain undetected for years-decades." Clips of the weapon emerging from the prow and strafing the team as they flew off the boat played on the monitors before their probe-laden bloodstreams were displayed. "Unless, of course, you disobey me and I decide to destroy your _former_ friends with the push of the button." Slade threatened as he emerged from the darkness, holding up his hand with the button nestled in it.

The Boy Wonder glared holes through his archenemy, trying to find a way to get that device from him. "Sooner or later, you'll let your guard down. I _will_ get that controller, and the instant they're out of danger, you _will_ pay." The irritated youth threatened.

"That sounded like a threat, young man. Quite a _good_ threat, actually." The masked villain complimented as he approached his new apprentice and took the blaster, "Betrayal, destruction, revenge. We really do think alike."

Robin gritted his teeth in a quite snarl that quickly grew in intensity before throwing himself at the imposing man. However, the charge went south quickly; Slade grabbed the teens' left wrist and bent his arm back sharply. From the sound of things, one or more bones were within an inch of breaking.

"I monitored your vital signs during the mission. Elevated heart rate, adrenaline, endorphins." Slade listed while adding more strain to the boys' wrist. "You won't admit it, but at some level you _enjoyed_ stealing for me. It was a thrill, wasn't it?" He asked as he released his hold, resulting in Robin stumbling away and rubbing his overstressed arm. "You're going to _keep_ stealing, Robin." The master ordered as he removed the blaster muzzle, "And you're going to _keep_ getting that thrill. And sooner or later, you will see things my way." He went on to say as he put the weapon back together. The villain then walked over to the mercenary-in-training and seized his left arm, "Who knows? I might even become like a father to you." Slade suggested as he clamped the modified weapon onto Robins' wrist, so that the muzzle pointed out along his arm.

"I already have a father." Robin declared softly as a few bats flew out through an opening between the blades of an enormous blower through the ceiling before disappearing into the night.

0-0

After receiving his new orders, the resentful apprentice left his master alone in the shadows. Once he was gone, the veteran trainee appeared and knelt before her father. "Is everything in place?"

"Yes, father." Ravager replied, "The device is primed and only needs to be activated."

"Good." Slade said coolly, his chilling voice having a tone of maliciousness. He turned away from his student and walked over to a table cluttered with papers and odd gadgets, grabbing something amid the items. "I have something that needs to be delivered." The armored villain admitted as he handed his apprentice a flash drive. "Something _invaluable_."

0-0

Later that night, the team had returned to the Tower after their botched attempt at stopping their former leader from committing a crime.

Trying to make sense of the whole situation, Beast Boy had donned a cap and long coat similar to those often worn by Sherlock Holmes, as well as holding the sort of pipe smoked by the great sleuth.

"Okay. The way I see it…" The green detective began as he paced back and forth across the Ops Center. "…there are only two logical explanations." He said as he stopped and faced Cyborg, Raven, and Kylar, who were seated on the couch. He held up a comic book titled _**Weird Shock**_, whose cover depicted a colossal robot in Robin's very approximate likeness. "One, Robin's been replaced by an evil robot double." He then flipped the book open to the first page that showed a horde of the undead led by a spiky-haired zombie. "Two, he's another innocent victim of zombie mind control."

The faces of his three teammates seated on the couch indicated just how ridiculous they thought the shape-shifters' theories were. With a sigh, Kylar stood up and stalked away from the couch, not really in the mood for his friends' crazy antics.

"As logical as that sounds, if anything was controlling his mind, I would have sensed it." Raven explained, quickly debunking the mind control theory.

"And my scanners confirmed his biometrics." Cyborg added as he examined a panel on his left forearm. "That was the real Robin-_our_ Robin." He sighed as he and the mage hung their heads.

"Lies! That was not Robin! Your scanners are wrong!" Starfire shouted in their friends' defense. The team faced her and noticed she was standing by the kitchen tables. "Robin is our friend, and nothing could _ever_ make him betray us!" As much as she wanted to believe her words, there was doubt in her mind, "Nothing." She added as she too hung her head, sadness very apparent in her voice.

"But something _did_." The cloaked girl sighed before returning to her sullen mood.

To break the depressing atmosphere, the would-be gumshoe with the overactive imagination slid in between his friends, "Three words: disgruntled radioactive clone." He said before Cyborg yanked him off the ground.

Annoyed at Beast Boys' stupidity, Raven delivered a spin kick that sent him flying toward the kitchen, where he crashed into a stack of dishes that was placed on the counter. "No matter what the reason, no matter how much we wish it wasn't true, Robin's a criminal now." The Goth explained after landing on the ground, "And just like any other criminal-"

"The Teen Titans have to bring him down." The metallic African finished. This response from her friends caused the disheartened Tamaranean to stifle a sob and turn away, clapping her hands against her face.

Before she could do anything else, an alarm blared. "Guys." The teens heard Kylar call out to them. They turned around and saw him seated at a computer console, "It's him."

0-0

Inside a large open space within a building, a set of doors, marked with a large **W**, was blown inward off the hinges, allowing a large smokescreen to feed into the room. From the haze, Robin stepped in and advanced across the floor where he reached a device suspended within a force field at the center. But before he could seize the item, something caused him to freeze in his tracks.

"You're not walking outta here, Robin!" The new thief heard a voice call out to him from behind. He turned around and saw his former team standing by the wrecked door. "Not without a fight." Cyborg added.

"RRRAAAAAHHHHH!" Robin yelled as he charged the group.

"Titans! GO!" The bionic teen shouted as they bolted across the floor, Beast Boy transforming into a tiger as he moved.

As the two opposing sides hurtled toward one another, the masked apprentice dodged both punches thrown by his cybernetic friend as well as his animalistic friends' lunge; the latter returned to human form as the new felon vaulted overhead. He sailed neatly between the three flyers of the team, tore away a ceiling panel, and escaped the room before any of them could react.

0-0

Outside the building, a panel popped open before Robin sprang out and raced across the rooftop. A large lighted sign identified the building as the headquarters of Jump City's Wayne Enterprises.

"_Not so fast, Robin. You have yet to achieve your objective__._" The fleeing apprentice heard his new master's voice say to him through his earpiece.

"The device was too heavily guarded." Robin rationalized as he continued running. "I'll have to steal it another-"

"_NO__!_" The usually calm and calculated villain shouted angrily, causing the Boy Wonder to stop in his tracks. "_Go back. Unless you want me to destroy them, go back and fight__._"

"Robin!" Cyborg called out to the ex-Titan. Said teen turned to the source and faced the group standing at the other end of the roof. "Look, I don't know what's going on, but we don't want to fight. We just want to talk." He explained as he approached his shorter friend.

Unfortunately for the hopeful bionic, Robin let his feet do the conversing, in the form of a highflying kick that drove Cyborg back past the other four.

"Guess there's nothing to talk about." Beast Boy stated as he cracked his knuckles and transformed into an enormous gorilla, bringing both fists down on the rooftop. Robin leapt back to evade the hit and a couple of grabs before perching at the center of the **A** in **WAYNE**. A huge green hand shot up after him; he leapt to the **A**'s peak, then down again as the massive simian climbed up after him. In midair, he pulled out another of Slade's flying weapons, the curved blades extended from the central orb. He shot the projectile off and it wound itself around one of the gorillas' thick wrists. Dropping down from the top of the giant letter, Robin threaded the line through the center, pulled taut, and yanked his opponent halfway through, leaving him stuck inside. The force of the animals' struggles caused the **A** to crackle and flash as pieces of glass fell to the roof.

Turning to intercept the others, Robin made a mad dash toward his next opponent. In front of him, Starfire watched as he came for her. "Please…" She murmured as she reached out to him. However, she couldn't say anything else as her friend rushed past her, leapt very high, and came down with a kick and a flurry of other strikes aimed at Raven.

The mage shielded herself from the offensive, able to keep up with her former leader. He soon was able to get the better of her by sweeping her legs, knocking her off the ground, and kicking her away from him. Just before Robin could get away, Kylar ran over and bowled into him with his shoulder, knocking the former Titan across the rooftop. The apprentice caught himself in midair and landed in a crouch on the ground, but soon found himself rolling to the side to dodge a follow-up stomp from the brunette.

Robin then lunged at his former friend with a right hook, but the aura manipulator ducked as he swept his leaders' feet from under him. Catching his opponent in midair by his legs, Kylar spun around and threw him toward the large letters that occupied the roof. However, the spiky-haired righted himself and landed on the ground. He pulled out more spheres marked with the _**S**_ and threw them at his brown-haired friend. The projectiles exploded, creating a smokescreen that blocked the brunettes' field of view, and soon found a steel glove shooting out of the fog and connecting with the underside of his chin.

The force of the hit caused Kylar to bend backwards, but instead of falling over, he swung his entire body forward and landed a full-blown head-butt against his opponents' forehead. Following up with more punches and kicks, the two former teammates continued their brawl.

On the other side of the rooftop, Cyborg broke out his sonic cannon. Even though the weapon was fully charged, his face betrayed his extreme uneasiness and reluctance at the prospect of using it in this situation. "Don't make me…" He groaned as he steadied his aim. Giving up the attempt to get a clear shot, he disarmed and ran into to fray to do things the old-fashioned way. The punch he threw, however, missed Robin and went straight for Kylar, who blocked the attack with his arms.

High above the rooftop, Beast Boy was still struggling to extricate himself from the sign's **A**. He finally succeeded by changing into a snake and slithering down; once he was back on the roof, he assumed the form of a bighorn sheep and charged. His curved horns slammed into Robin's back and sent him rolling away, stopping just short of the edge.

"Dude! Are you okay?" Beast Boy cried as he rushed over to help him, turning back into human form before doing so. His answer came in the form of his former leader quickly turning over on the ground and striking him with a small explosive that sent him crashing into the bulky bionic.

Getting back up, the Boy Wonder glared at his remaining two opponents, "_Fight to win, Robin__._" He heard Slade order him through his earpiece. "_Use the thermal blaster__._"

Before he could refuse the order, Raven was on him with an attack. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" She chanted as she released a wave of telekinesis. The attack formed energy around the Boy Wonder and lifted him off the ground, binding his torso and pinning his left arm to his side. However, he still had his right arm free, and with it, he threw a disk that struck the large **N**, blinding her. "Ah! Can't see!" The mage cried as she released her bind and fell to the ground.

"No!" Starfire cried as she watched her friend fall.

"Raven!" Kylar shouted as he flew over and caught her before she hit the ground.

On the other side of the roof, Robin had engaged the much larger and stronger semi-robotic teen. "Come on man, don't make me do this!" Cyborg said as he blocked each of his former leaders' punches and broke out his sonic cannon. "I don't wanna do this!" He added as he grabbed his attackers' arm and primed his weapon. Before he could fire, one of the apprentices' feet swept under him and dropped him onto his back, causing the blast to go off and miss its' intended target.

Escaping the bionic Titan, Robin leapt atop the giant **A** and made his way quickly across the rest of the letters. Once he reached the giant **E**, however, someone was there to greet him.

"Stop!" A furious orange-skinned alien demanded as she held out her right hand, primed with a starbolt. "Do not move." The masked thief obeyed and stared at his former friend.

"_I thought I told you to use that blaster__._" Robin heard Slade command via the earpiece. "_Attack! Now__!_" Knowing what his new master would do if he disobeyed, the Boy Wonder raised his weapon and pointed it at the Tamaranean.

As the two faced off against each other, Starfire's expression became cold while Robin's remained emotionless, trying hard to hide the pain he was feeling at having to attack his friends.

Internally, the usually cheerful alien was conflicted between her feelings of friendship and duty before one of them won out. "Robin, you are my best friend. I cannot live in a world where we must fight." She said as her eyes saddened and her voice trembled, "If you are truly evil-" she said as she dispelled her powers and lowered her arm, "-then go ahead. Do what you must."

Shocked at his friends' decision, Robin powered down the blaster and lowered it, "Starfire, no, I-" But before he could explain what was happening, a shrill shriek of feedback sounded from his earpiece, causing him to recoil and cusp his ear.

"_ROBIN! I gave you an order__._" The villainous blackmailer shouted. "_If you won't attack, my probes will__!_" Slade stated. On his end of the line, he pressed the button that activated the probes inside the five other Titans.

After a few seconds, the team began groaning in agony, unable to move as an immense amount of pain coursed through their entire beings. The effects of the probes caused each of the Titans to glow orange with red spots along with a white haze emitting from their bodies.

Finally succumbing to the pain, Starfire fell from the sky, and would've hit the rooftop had Robin not caught her before she passed him. "Starfire!" The spiky-haired teen cried as the others began collapsing to the ground. "Stop! Please, stop!" The teen begged desperately.

"_Attack, Robin. It's the only way to save them__._" Slade hissed. "_Attack with everything you've got__._"

Finding no other alternative, the apprentice acknowledged his orders and laid the dying girl in his arms on the ground. "Robin…" Starfire muttered as she tried reaching up to him.

He held up the blaster and primed it for an attack. "I'm sorry." But before he could fire the weapon, a flying mass of glowing orange and red slammed into his side, sending both of them falling from the giant **E** and crashing onto the rooftop.

Robin sat up and placed his right hand on his head as he tried clearing his head. Once he reoriented himself, he looked over and saw Kylar standing over him, the effects of the probes still evident on his body. "Is _this_ what you wanted!?" The aura manipulator snarled as he grabbed his former friend by the collar and hurled him across the roof. He caught himself as he skid across the ground, but soon had to dodge a barrage of punches. He caught one of the glowing Titans' fists, but was hit again by a head-butt, forcing him to lose his grip and stumble backwards. "We forgave you for that Red-X stunt, yet you betrayed us to work for Slade?" Kylar growled through labored breaths, the destruction of his cells taking its' toll on his body.

Robin wanted to say something. He wanted to explain everything that was happening, to let them know why, "Kylar, I-" But before he could continue, the brunette charged him with whatever strength he had left, seized the apprentice by the neck, and pinned him against one of the legs of the giant **N**.

"_SHUT UP_!" The infuriated teen shouted as he squeezed his hands around the thief's neck. "Was this your plan all along? To join him and have the rest of us die?" He lifted the choking boy up higher against the wall, "IS THAT HOW MUCH WE MEANT TO YOU?!"

Under the grip of his enraged friend, Robin was having a hard time breathing and felt himself slowly losing consciousness. "_The blaster, Robin. NOW__!_" Slade yelled through the earpiece. With no other option, the desperate teen pressed the muzzle of his weapon against the brunettes' chest and discharged a blast. The force of the attack sent the choker tumbling across the roof before landing face down, just short of the edge. Gasping for air, Robin rubbed his throat before looking over at the downed Titan. "_That's my boy__._" His new master congratulated.

0-0

Atop the huge lighted letters, Starfire moaned weakly as she sat up. "Huh?" She mumbled as she looked down and saw Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy come around, with Kylar slowly walking toward them from behind the **Y**; they were no longer suffering the effects of the probes.

"Okay. Weirdness." The green Titan stated as the Tamaranean floated down to regroup with her friends. "What just-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Robin plunged toward them with a yell and a fresh blast. It traced a short distance between the fivesome as he landed in the middle and slung Beast Boy into Raven's face. A low kick knocked Cyborg away and a jump kick landed on Kylars' chest. Starfire found herself trying to hit a moving midair target with her starbolts as the villainous trainee somersaulted across the roof and trained his blaster on her. With a gasp, she realized that he had her bracketed, but the Boy Wonder shifted his aim and fired past her, hitting the large **Y**. The next beams came at Beast Boy and Raven; the latter forming a shield to protect herself while the former transformed into a monkey and scampered away.

A moment later, the little green primate darted across the ground and climbed all over the armored arms and legs of his former leader. It took a moment, but Robin was finally able to get a hold of the little pest and threw him aside. As he did so, though, the magical Titan exerted her powers over his left arm, focused on the blaster, and caused the thing to dismantle itself. For her trouble, the masked teen seized her by the wrist and shoved her across the roof. Kylar then flew over and tried to tackle the apprentice just as Cyborg tried coming up behind him to grab him. At the last second, the Boy Wonder ducked away, causing the brunette to crash into the metallic teen.

Swiveling through his attackers, Robin found himself at the edge of the rooftop, cornered by the other Titans. As they began their approach, Beast Boy morphed into a bear, Cyborg prepped his cannon for an attack, and the three flyers had their respective powers warmed up. Gritting his teeth, the spiky-haired trainee whipped out four discs and threw them at the group. Once the projectiles flew past the five crime fighters, they detonated at the bases of the **A**.

"Titans! Move!" The titanium African teen shouted as the giant letters began toppling over. They followed the order and cleared out, Beast Boy transforming into a bat, as the **Y **toppled forward with the **A** not far behind. When the smoke cleared, Cyborg was in one piece and on his feet, standing perfectly in the gap of the fallen **A**.

After the chaos died down, Starfire looked around fearfully as Raven landed near her. "He's gone." The mage said.

"Everybody okay?" The bionic asked as he stepped over the fallen letter.

"Yeah, I think so." The black-jacketed teen replied as he rubbed his chest with his right hand.

"Uh, I know where Robin picked up that heat ray, but where did he learn that little glow-y hurt-y trick?" The changeling asked, his eyes briefly turning orange with red spots.

"I do not think that _was_ Robin." Starfire stated, piecing a few clues together that explained their friends' behavior. "Perhaps it is _Slade_ who has learned a new trick."

0-0

"Thrilling." Deep underground, amid large monitors that covered the wall, Slade observed the confrontation between Kylar and Robin, amazed at the brutal behavior displayed on the screen. He then switched screens and watched when the spiky-haired youths' thermal blaster ray came down from overhead among the Titans and when he threw each of his former friends around like toys. "My apprentice is progressing even faster than I had hoped." The masked mercenary praised as he reclined in his chair, "All he needed was a little _motivation_." To his surprise, a steel-gloved hand reached in front of him and grabbed his left wrist.

"Motivate _THIS_!" Robin shouted as he threw a punch at the villain. However, years of training, and nerves of steel, allowed Slade to catch the attack easily, without flinching, and wrench the arm to one side. He then flung his new apprentice toward a set of overhead gears; Robin came down in a crouch across the floor.

Standing up, the villainous mastermind left his chair and flexed the fingers in his left hand. "Robin. That was vicious, dishonorable, and ruthless." Slade stated as he crossed the floor. "Excellent work. You're becoming more like me every second." He congratulated as he turned away.

To the rebellious apprentices' surprise, the villain then whirled around to attack his new student with a string of blows, missing Robin each time, as he was able to dodge. Slade was then able to grapple the youth, place him in a headlock, and lift him of his feet. Thinking quickly, the bound teen swung his left leg around and kicked him in the face, forcing the armored man to break his hold. Both fighters retreated a bit, trying to catch their breath and clear their heads.

0-0

Inside the Tower's Operations Center, each Titan was gathered around the couch; Beast Boy was seated on a chair with an assortment of devices wiring him to the computers.

"Think I found something." Cyborg said as he examined a readout of the changelings' vital signs that were shown on the window screen. "The enhanced sensors are picking up radio interference on the nanoscopic scale." He did a bit of typing on the console and up came the image of Beast Boy's blood stream, with Slade's probes attached to his cells in fine detail.

"Whoa." Raven awed while Starfire gasped.

"That's not good." Kylar gaped at the discovery.

The test subjected looked toward the screen, and his eyes popped wide open in horror. "Those things are in_side_ me? EWWW!" He cried as the various tubes and wires disconnected from his face.

"They're inside _all_ of us." The genius scientist corrected, "Billions of 'em!"

"With such technology at his command, Slade can destroy us whenever he wants." The redhead stated.

"Unless Robin does whatever he says." The mage added.

"And you guys thought my zombie idea was crazy." Beast Boy pouted with his arms crossed.

"He's not a zombie." The black-jacketed brunette sighed. A beeping from inside his jacket pocket caught everyone's attention. Pulling out his communicator and examining it, Kylar quickly rushed over to the console Cyborg was standing at and did some typing.

"Something up?" The bionic teen asked, confused at his teammates sudden burst of action.

"I caught a signal from the bug I placed on Sparrow." Kylar answered as he connected his communicator to the computer. "It should show us where he ran off to."

"When did you do that?" Raven asked.

"When we were… fighting." The aura manipulator confessed. The other Titans looked at each other confusingly before looking back at the brunette. "Found him." He announced as a map of Jump City appeared on the screen with a red dot flashing just outside the city limits.

0-0

Back inside Slade's lair, teacher and student were still trying to collect themselves after the previous skirmish. Robin then initiated the next brawl, propelling himself in a high backward jump that carried him toward the metal face. However, said metal face grabbed his legs, swung the poor teen low, scraping him against the floor, and hurled him toward the overhead machinery. The screaming Boy Wonder hooked a crankshaft to stop himself from flying into the gears and lowered himself back onto a different platform.

From the darkness, Robin advanced across the chamber, peering warily from one spot to another. He made his way to a bank of levers near the edge of the elevated platform before stopping for a good look around. Steam boiled up as a stationary gear began turning, carrying Slade onto the platform to meet his disobedient student.

"Good, Robin. You're doing much better than last time." The masked villain commended as he approached the angry youth. "A few more years of training, and you might actually pose a threat."

Robin backed away from his foe and reached some levers that controlled one of the large mechanical gears. Breaking one loose, he twirled it back and forth before holding it in front of him to attack. Slade merely pulled out a fighting staff just like the one the Boy Wonder used to use and extended it to full length. More steam rolled around the two enemies before the rebellious youth charge in. The mercenary parried his attacks, and the two leaned in toward each other with their full weight. Slowly but surely, the masked villain overpowered the masked teen and forced him back, then caught him with a high swing that drove him back against a pipe.

Robin quickly leapt away, avoiding a jabbing strike that punctured the pipe and released a flood of steam that enveloped both combatants. With the staff lodged into the metal, the younger fighter perched on it and delivered a blind swing with his makeshift club. The sound of metal crashing against metal confirmed that the strike hit its' target. The masked teen waited for his opponent to make another move but nothing happened.

"Huh?" Robin gasped as Slade emerged from the steam and delivered a karate chop. He quickly leapt from the staff and landed on a bend in the damaged pipe just in time as the attack broke off the end of the metal pole. A camshaft swung back and forth in front of the Boy Wonder like a pendulum; he took a few cautious steps backwards, and Slade appeared suddenly before him like a ghost.

After another couple of cycles of the large rotating machinery, the mercenary disappeared again. Robin's eyes went wide in disbelief. But before he could fully comprehend what happened, Slade barreled across and struck him broadside. The young man fetched up on a stationary gear mounted horizontally and, dazed a bit, struggled to lift his head. He snapped back to full consciousness in a hurry once he saw the hulking armored man coming straight down toward him. One of those armored fists slammed into the platform, just missing its' target thanks to a last second dodge.

Withdrawing his hand from the hole he smashed in the deck plate, Slade stood up and cracked his knuckles. Robin's eyes narrowed in pure hatred before he ran across the gears for a leap. Instead of aiming directly at the criminal, though, he jumped past one shoulder and brought his leg up for a crashing spin kick that staggered the man. A second blow knocked the dual-colored masked soldier over the edge, sending him tumbling down in front of the monitors, which once again showed the five Titans' bloodstreams.

Robin leapt down to face him and noticed the left side of Slade's mask had cracked from the force of his kick. "You're going to wish you hadn't done that." The downed villain threatened as he knelt on the ground.

"I only wish I'd done it sooner." The vengeful youth growled as he tore the silver _**S**_ from his chest. He then threw it down, where it pierced the ground just in front of the still-kneeling Slade. The angered teacher voiced a low growl and let it build into a full roar before charging his student.

The charge forced Robin to go on the defensive against a sequence of attacks. He went into a handstand, attempting to kick his antagonist in the face, but found this to be ineffective as Slade caught the approaching foot and rendered him immobile. After an incurious look back and forth, he threw the Boy Wonder across the ground.

"I have much to teach you." The menacing criminal hissed as he approached the struggling former Titan. "But the first thing you need to learn is gratitude."

Robin wiped his face as he finally got to his feet while Slade merely stood there. Eyeing the activity on the monitors, the rebellious apprentice yelled in fury and moved in for another round. Unfortunately the ominous master seized his arm and bent it cruelly past his shoulder before dumping the boy onto his back.

"I made you my apprentice." Slade stated as he released his hold. Robin clutched his pained arm and rolled onto his back, trying to get away from the menacing villain. "All my knowledge, all my power, all for you." He growled as he knelt next to his student and clenched a fistful of spiky hair. "But the only thing you care about is your _worthless_-_little_-_friends_!" He shouted angrily as he released the struggling teens hair. Standing up and walking away from the boy, Slade looked at the button on his wrist, "If the Titans are so distracting, maybe I should just get rid of them." He suggested as he brought a finger over the button.

The Boy Wonder quickly stood up and steeled himself for another charge, but soon lost his resolve. "Don't. I'll do whatever you say." Robin surrendered; knowing what another act of defiance would bring to his friends.

"Good boy." Slade said, "And, from now on, I'd like you to call me Master."

The next moment surprised both teacher and student as a starbolt flashed from the side and blasted the villain away, sending him tumbling in front of the monitors. Quickly looking to the source, Robin saw the other five Titans gathered in front of the dark throne, with Starfire priming a starbolt in both hands.

"Leave-him-alone!" The alien demanded, eyes glowing green with the intensity of the sun.

"Robin! Attack!" Slade ordered as he tried getting up from the blast.

"Get out of here! Go!" The apprentice warned as he gestured to a piece of equipment that was the same device that implanted the probes in the other five Titans. "You don't know what those beams did to-"

"Dude…"

"…we know…"

"…and we don't care."

"We are your friends, Robin. We are not leaving without you."

"So let's finish up here and go home." Beast Boy, Raven, Cyborg, Starfire, and Kylar all reassured their friend before tensing for battle.

"How very touching." The heartless villain mocked as he stepped forward, finally shaking off the damage of the blast. "But Robin doesn't _need_ any friends." He stated as he pressed the button on his wrist.

Once it was activated, the apparatus that Robin gestured to earlier sparked to life; red energy bolts blazed across the chamber as a result. Soon after activating, the probes inside the Titans did what they did best and began destroying their cells. Cyborg and Starfire were the first to collapse on the ground before Raven dropped to the ground with Beast Boy buckling his knees. Kylar made an incredible effort to take a few steps, but the pain in his body proved to be too much as he also succumbed to the effects of the probes, finally dropping to the floor.

"_This_ is the price for your disobedience, Robin." Slade faulted his young ward. "Now do as I command. _Attack_!"

With a Herculean effort, Starfire lifted her head and aimed a pleading gaze at the former Titan. Even though her eyes were whited out by the glare of the energy surging through her body, they, and the tears running down her cheeks, broadcasted the quintet's agony loud and clear. Robin's jaw dropped open as he gasped softly. He then looked off in the direction of the red apparatus. Internally, he knew what he had to do as he eyes narrowed in pure, righteous determination.

"No." The Boy Wonder rebelled before dashing toward the strange device.

"Robin!" The villain shouted as he reached out to him, but it was too late.

A few more steps and a great leap carried the roaring apprentice over the last few yards, where he planted his left hand on the rig after reaching it. Now bathed in its' glow, he brought his other palm around to touch it as well. The groans that escaped through his tight-locked teeth betrayed the unendurable physical strain he put himself in. Inside his very being, the devices latched onto his blood cells, just like they did to the rest of his friends. Once they were in place, he was thrown backwards as the entire rig exploded.

With the device destroyed, Slade watched the Titans' bloodstreams with great surprise-and, as he did, a sixth screen popped up with Robins' name in it. Groaning at the pain, this new victim hauled himself to his feet. The villain regarded his control button with some trepidation while the orange-glowing boy advanced toward him with labored steps.

"New deal, Slade. If I lose my friends, you lose an apprentice." The defiant Titan stated through strained groans, "And I _know_ how you hate to lose." He added before collapsing.

Slade gave this proposition a long moment's thought, his thumb ready to bring the troublesome teens' existence to a grinding halt. But instead of ridding the world of this super powered team, he tore the controller off his wrist and tossed it away. A few sparks flashed from the device, after which the probes ceased their destructive work on the team. Not about to let the matter drop so easily, Slade raised one foot to stomp the spiky-haired teen flat. But before he could bring it down, Robin stood up and grabbed it, rendering his archenemy immobile for a moment. With a smirk, the newly determined Titan smashed a punch into the masked face of his former master, sending the evil genius flying to the end of the chamber.

"Titans! GO!" The leader shouted as he regrouped with his friends, who were back in good health. As they charged Slade, Beast Boy transformed into a tiger and swiped a claw across his targets' chest with enough strength to pierce the armor. Cyborg and Starfire moved in next, starbolts and cannon going full throttle, blasting the overpowered criminal backwards. With his aura surrounding his arms, Kylar slid up and delivered a powerful uppercut that sent his opponent flying upward. Raven then directed a spell that bound the airborne targets' feet and flung him hard onto the ground. Now, Robin went for an attack, delivering a flying kick that pasted a boot sole across that masked face. The force of the kick caused the crack to fracture even more, spreading to the back of his head.

Falling to his knees, he quickly held up his right hand to cover the exposed portion of his visage as Robin landed in a crouch. Nothing could be seen but a fringe of unruly hair above his fingers, and his eye looked as if it would pop out of his head. The Boy Wonder charged for another attack, but three shurikens stabbing the ground in front of him stopped him in his tracks. The next moment, Ravager landed in between the two opposing forces with her swords drawn, having returned from her mission just in time to save her father.

In the moment of confusion, Slade ran off and fiddled briefly with a large piece of equipment, with his loyal apprentice following. "Another day, Robin." He warned as he slotted his fingers into holes on a dial on the device. With a turn, lines of red light emanated along the surface of the device with rings of light flicking down the body of the rig. "Another day." He repeated as he and Ravager disappeared into the darkness.

All six Titans stood dumbfounded near the monitors, which have all gone blank. The lights inside the lair began flashing red, apparently signifying a self-destruct sequence. Gears started falling off their axles around the chamber and forced the team to scatter. A large gear tumbled toward Robin, who ran at top speed to stay ahead as it rolled along and tore up the platform. Before he could be crushed by the threatening piece of metal, Starfire flew past and carried him to safety. Cyborg strained at the core of the probe system and tore it lose before making a mad dash across the crumbling deck plates. Overhead, Raven and Kylar weaved around falling debris, with Beast Boy as a monkey clinging onto the latters' back.

Finally reaching the exit, Robin opened the door and let white light pour in from outside. "Let's go home."

0-0

After escaping the collapsing lair, and returning to the safety of the Tower, the Titans gathered in the Ops Center the following morning. The place had been stuffed with wires connecting the core of Slade's probe system to a computer console. Along with the massive amount of wiring, Beast Boy was sitting in a chair with tubes and cables hooked to every square inch of him.

"Am I done yet?" The annoyed changeling asked; his voiced muffled by a mask that was clamped over his face.

"That's it, y'all. The Teen Titans are officially probe-free." Cyborg announced happily.

Upon hearing the good news, the green test subject jumped out of the chair with a boisterous laugh and began dancing, assorted hardware still connected to his body. "Go, Beast Boy! You're probe-less! No probes now! Go, Beast Boy! Go, Beast Boy! Get fun-kay! Uh! Yeah! Uh, uh, that's right." He sang as he moonwalked past Cyborg, Raven, Kylar, and Robin, now dressed in his proper outfit.

"He's ridiculous." The brunette chuckled as he watched the green goofball shed off the excess hardware.

"Um… I know this isn't my style, but we just kicked Slade's butt. Shouldn't we… celebrate or something?" The normally stoic mage suggested, a little nervous at the response she might receive.

The three boys stared incredulously at her before Beast Boy jumped onto the bionics' shoulders. "Yeah!" He cheered as he leaned forward and stared at Cyborg's face upside-down.

"All-you-can-eat…"

"…free-form…"

"…breakfast explosion!" The two energetic Titans traded of speaking before cheering simultaneously at the suggestion.

"Sorry I asked." Raven deadpanned, immediately regretting ever mentioning the word 'celebrate' around the immature pair.

The two laughing cooks ran past and hauled her toward the kitchen. Soon after, Kylar followed. But before he did, he placed a hand on Robins' shoulder, getting his attention. No words were spoken between the two. Only trading a smile and a nod, both understood fully what the other wanted to say; that they were sorry. With just Robin and Starfire left, the masked Titan saw that something was bothering her.

"Everything okay?" He asked as he took a seat next to his Tamaranean friend.

"I am sorry." She apologized, unable to raise her eyes to meet him.

"_You're_ sorry? For what?"

"When things were bad, there was a moment where I truly believed that you were… like Slade." She admitted as she turned away from him. "I doubted you. And for that, I am sorry."

"I doubted myself, Star." Robin confessed as Starfire lifted her head to look at him, "Focused, serious, determined… as much as I hate to admit it, he and I _are_ kind of alike. But there's one big difference between me and Slade." He said with a smile, "He doesn't have any friends."

This lifted her spirits in an instant as both looked toward the kitchen. They noticed an amused Kylar and a truly irked Raven seated at the counter with various foods flying in every direction.

"Who wants tofu waffles?" The green chef asked as he held up two waffles with a crab claw and a tentacle.

"Man, nobody wants tofu waffles." Cyborg argued as he leaned toward the shape-shifters' face, a vein throbbing on his temple.

"I do." Beast Boy returned, dropping the waffles and returning his hands to normal, "Pass me the soy milk." He demanded as he jumped after the metallic cook.

A scuffle broke out between the opposing chefs as Robin and Starfire crossed the room to join the other couple. "I'm telling you, you're not getting anywhere near the soy milk." The titanium teen asserted.

"Man, pass me the soy milk!"

"Is there any meat in the tofu?"

"No, there's no meat in the tofu, it's tofu!"

"Nobody wants it." The two Titans bickered as they tried deciding what to cook for breakfast.

Even pushed to incredible limits, the team held their loyalty to each other and succeeded in defeating their archenemy. It didn't matter that Slade escaped, they were just happy to be reunited. Looking to the future, they would face whatever problems they encountered, together. Nothing could break the bonds they shared.

Nothing…

* * *

**"_I think if I've learned anything about friendship, it's to hang in, stay connected, fight for them, and let them fight for you. Don't walk away, don't be distracted, don't be too busy or tired, don't take them for granted. Friends are part of the glue that holds life and faith together. Powerful stuff_."**

**-Jon Katz**

**Author's Note:**

**And with that ends the Season 1 finale. Oh how I feel like singing a song that expresses my happiness right now. And again, thank you all so much for joining me on this adventure. For those just joining us, how're you doing? For those returning, you're all the greatest.**

**Hey! Next season comes someone special! Guess who! I wonder how that's going to play out now that Kylar is in the picture. Guess we'll just have to wait and see.**

**Repeating what I said at the beginning, write a review if you want to, and if you enjoyed the story, tell all your friends! (*Snicker*)**

**That's about it. If you have any questions or suggestions, PM me. Hearing your thoughts are always fun and the input is always welcome.****  
**

**Until next chapter, See You Space Cowboys.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the DC Universe nor do I own anything from Teen Titans. Any other references made belong to their respective owners, again I own nothing.**


	16. How Long Is Forever?

**Author's Note:**

**Whoo! Season Two, let's go! **

**Hello and welcome back, my beautiful people. Hope you all were waiting by the edge of your seats for this because the season two premiere is finally here! If I was any good a haikus, I'd write one for you all. But since I'm not, I won't!**

**Onto the important stuff: If you like the story, remember to write a review if you want to and don't forget to follow and favorite. Also if you have any suggestions or questions, PM me, I love hearing your thoughts.  
**

**I want to thank everyone for reading the story, it's you that made this story 'popular' and it wouldn't be anything without you. So thank you again, for everything.**

**So, without further adieu I present Season Two.**

* * *

That large glowing sphere of heat began rising over the horizon into the wild blue yonder, casting sunbeams in every direction, and illuminating the coastal city. It was the perfect weather for residents to enjoy the company of friends and family. In fact, today marked a very special day for a certain extraterrestrial.

Inside Titans Tower, Starfire woke to the noise of a ringing alarm. "The day has arrived!" The cheerful girl gasped happily. Reaching over to her dresser, she shut off the source of the ringing, an Amazing Mumbo alarm, and opened a drawer stuffed with party favors and toys. Sweeping up the lot while giggling, she made her way to her door where she peeked into the hallway cautiously and looked back and forth, making sure the coast was clear. More of that bubbly laughter escaped her as she zipped out of her room and started easing toward the corner, whisking from one wall to the other as she moved.

As a result of the constant shifting, her armload jingled slightly, resulting in one item falling away when she ducked around the bend. After reaching back and picking the item up, she made her way past some stairs to the entrance of the Ops Center.

"HAPPY BLORTHOG!" Starfire beamed as she entered through the opened doors. But that radiant smile quickly vanished after seeing what was happening in the common room. "Huh?" She muttered as a question mark popped up over her head.

The sight that greeted her wasn't exactly welcoming as each member of the team secluded themselves into different groups. Raven was sitting off to the left of the entrance behind a coffee table, reading. Robin stood before a boom box in the kitchen, and Kylar was on the couch with Beast Boy and Cyborg, the former holding something in his hands while the latter two were playing a racing game on the GameStation. A thundering hip-hop track coming from the portable music player drowned out all other sound in the room. The music was so loud, that the wall of sound blew back the spiky hair on the Boy Wonders' head.

On the couch, the bionic and shape-shifting teens were having a tug-of-war over the game controller. "Come on, Beast Boy, gimme that thing!" The metallic bruiser growled as he pulled the controller to him.

"Dude! I'm in the _middle_ of a _game_, Cyborg!" The greenling returned as he pulled the device back to him.

"Yeah, _my_ game, 'cause it's _my_ turn!"

"Give me the controller!"

"No! Let go!"

"It's my turn!" The two gamers argued back and forth as they struggled to rip the controller from the others' hands.

Next to them was the unfazed aura manipulator, who, upon closer inspection, was using a screwdriver on his wooden music box in an attempt to fine-tune it. On the other side of the room, Starfire noticed the completely unflappable reader still buried in her book.

"Friends! We must frolic and leap in glorious celebration, for today is Blorthog-the Tamaranean festival of friendship!" The joyful Titan explained before grinning broadly. But that smile soon disappeared after realizing that no one was pay attention to her. Disgruntled, she looked around the place and dropped the items she carried on the floor, except for a few strands of jingling bells that hung from her wrist. After a moment, Cyborg leaned toward her over the back of the couch, still struggling with Beast Boy. "Joyous greeting, friend!" Starfire smiled as she approached the African teen, "I, Starfire, give you this tinnabula as a symbol of-"

"You're gonna pay for that, you little grass stain!" The metallic teen interrupted as a green tentacle wrapped around his neck and pulled him away from the redhead.

The constant fighting in front of the window screen got a little out of hand, and the two fighting teens bumped into the brunette. As a result, the music box flew out of his hands, and once it hit the ground, the metal hinge connecting the bottom and top halves broke, leaving the device in two pieces. Staring in wide-eyed shock, Kylar turned his attention to the brawling duo, narrowed his eyes, and dove after them.

Cyborg was standing victoriously over the changeling, with controller in hand, but was surprised by the tackle the black-jacketed teen delivered. The force of the attack was enough to lift the hulking Titan off his feet and release his grip on the controller. In the chaos, Beast Boy transformed into a frog and ceased the device with his tongue. He then hopped onto the back of the couch, reverted back to his human form, and started playing again.

"Many blessings, friend." The hopeful teen greeted as she held out a string of bells to him, "May your ears be filled with sugar candies and-"

"BEAST BOY!" Kylar and Cyborg shouted simultaneously.

"Look! I'll give you back the controller as soon as _Raven_ gives back my nail clippers!" The shape-shifter yelled over his shoulder.

"Not gonna happen. How else am I supposed to keep your toenails off the coffee table?" The sorceress responded as she continued reading, the aforementioned pair of clippers floating next to her.

"I don't care about that!" The brunette growled as he grabbed the shorter Titans' collar and yanked him back into the fight.

Figuring she would not achieve any success with the troublesome trio, Starfire made her way to the gloomy mage. "Happiness and delight, friend." She smiled as she held out the bells, "On this wondrous day, I wish you sunshine and bunny-" She immediately silenced herself when she noticed her Gothic friends' piercing gaze and twitching eyebrow. The scared alien took the hint and backed off with a nervous little laugh.

"Robin, could the music be a _little_ louder?" Raven sarcastically asked as a vein popped on her forehead, "I can still hear myself think."

Turning to face the masked Titan, the orange alien made her way to him in an effort to offer him the bells. Unfortunately, the leader was too preoccupied with the free-for-all that continued in front of the couch. As the fighting got louder, one after another, veins popped on the Boy Wonders' forehead. "I only turned the music up to DROWN OUT ALL THE YELLING!" Robin yelled, his head swelling and face going red as he did so.

Standing against a red background and holding the bells, a disheartened Starfire grew rather tired of the whole idiocy. Robin's throbbing head floating at her top left, Raven's at her top right, and a tiny laughing Beast Boy ran behind her holding the controller while Cyborg and Kylar chased him.

A moment later, both gamers were next her again, "Whose turn is it now, tough guy? Whose turn is it now?" The tiny bionic taunted as he held the green teen in a headlock with one hand and holding the device over his head with the other. Soon after, the brunette flew over and tackled his two teammates; a cloud of dust covered the fighting as they rolled away from the Tamaranean.

"Knock it off! I can't work with you three acting like _idiots_!" The floating head of the Boy Wonder shouted after them, literally spitting fire in his rage.

"Great, Robin. More yelling will _definitely_ stop all the yelling." The mages' head deadpanned, causing the masked teen to growl at her in return.

Back with the three Stooges, the titanium Titan and aura manipulator ran screaming behind the redhead as a green bear charged after them. Soon after, Cyborg and Kylar slid across and perched themselves on Starfire's bells, the former getting the upper hand and pinning the latter on the ground with his foot. Beast Boy soon walked over in human form and tried catching his breath.

"Friends, please!" The Tamaranean pleaded as the tiny semi-robot danced on top of the brunette, "You must not-if we could simply-happy Blor-" To he surprise, the strand of bells in her hands broke, dropping the two Titans to the ground. Her disbelieving gaze watched as the bells bounced all over the place. Soon, her shock gave way to fist-clenching anger, and she did her best to keep from blowing her top. Unfortunately, she lost the struggle. "STTTTTOOOOOPPPPP!" The distressed teen roared, causing everything to return to normal as well as silence the music. "Friends must _never_ behave this way-and especially not on Blorthog!" The worried alien defended, "Do you wish to invite the Rekmas?"

"Gesundheit? Ow!" Beast Boy asked before getting nudged in his side by the taller brunette standing next to him.

"On my world, 'Rekmas' means 'the Drifting.'" Starfire explained remorsefully as she turned away from her friends. "The point at which close friends begin to drift apart-and their friendship… begins to die."

"Aw, come on, Starfire." The African bionic cried.

"We are _so_ not Rek-whatever-ing." The green teen reassured as he waved his right hand in front of his face.

"We're getting on each other's nerves a little. Big deal." The mage stated.

"It's not like this hasn't happened before." The aura manipulator said as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah. This is just typical roommate stuff. We're not going to drift apart, Star. I promise." The spiky-haired Titan comforted. "We'll all be friends forever."

"Forever?" The redhead asked worriedly.

Before she could continue pondering what her friends said, a beeping sounded from Robin's communicator before he pulled it from his belt.

"Titans! Trouble!" The leader exclaimed as he ran to the door. All but the concerned Tamaranean followed him out of the Ops Center. After a one final regard toward the broken bells, she flew out after them, not knowing just what was in store for the team.

0-0

The distress signal came from a museum in Jump City. Inside the building a portal of white light opened up and turned black after a moment as if a second hand had swept across it. Out stepped a goateed man in black armor, with gold reinforcements at his wrists and ankles; he also wore a gold breastplate and helmet that left his face exposed. There was also a small blue lens on the forehead of his helmet. The room he entered was filled with ticking clocks from many historical periods, however the man only had his eyes set on a small clock in a cylindrical gold housing, with a glass hemisphere on top.

Making his way across the exhibit, the man heard a voice when he reached the glass display. "Hey, stop!" The voice called out to him. The intruder turned to face the source of the noise and saw two armed guards with weapons cocked and pointed at him.

"Stop yourselves!" The thief smirked as he waved his left hand carelessly at them. An instant later, both men were frozen in ice. "I didn't journey back in time one hundred years to squabble, I came to steal." The villain spoke as he turned toward the clock on display, "The Clock of Eternity. Valuable in the past, priceless in the future." He reached for the precious item, but a red and yellow disc had other plans as it deflected his hand from the case.

"But for the present, you'll keep your filthy hands off it." The time traveler heard a young voice quip. He looked up toward the balcony and saw the six heroes standing by the railing, ready to fight.

"The Teen Titans. This _is_ a treat." The man chuckled as laser blasters popped out from his shoulder pads, "I read all about you in the historical archives. And now you're all _history_!" He exclaimed as he opened fire on the group.

"Titans! GO!" Robin shouted as he and the others leapt over the railing to avoid the blasts.

The futuristic thief pivoted to follow the team and fired again with a shout, aiming at the Boy Wonder. As he tried avoiding the shots, he whipped out his fighting staff and extended it to full length, parrying the barrages with ease. However, the last shot broke the weapon in half and forced him to retreat.

With the masked Titan out of commission, Starfire flew in to charge the villain, followed by a green lion. Priming her powers, the Tamaranean carved a long double groove in the floor before coming upon her target. But this soon proved to be ineffective as the man effortlessly deflected the attacks back toward their owner, knocking her out of the air.

Next, the big green jungle cat took a shot at the time traveler. Growling as it charged, the green lion leapt into the air, bringing down two large claws ready to slash the villain. But, to the felines' surprise, the man held up his right hand, where a blaster popped from the gauntlet. Crackling with electricity, the weapon discharged the energy at the animal, immobilizing it in mid-leap.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven chanted, catching the advanced humans' attention. He looked just in time to see two grandfather clocks come hurling toward him, but easily knocked the projectiles away with a wave of his hand. He countered the mage by firing a beam from his helmet that drove her to the ground.

Kylar tried to attack the man with an aura enhanced right jab. But at the last second, the time invader caught the fist in his left palm. The villain smirked as electricity formed in his hand and surged through the brunette, weakening him. The thief then followed up with an open palm strike with his right hand that launched the teen across the exhibit, crashing into a few display cases.

The criminal was clear for only a moment, though, as Cyborg broke out his sonic cannon and fired a blast that connected with its' intended target, throwing up a cloud of dust. "Boo-yah! Huh?" The metallic teen gasped as he saw his opponent unharmed and surrounded by a force field. Taking it down, the time traveler threw a circular device that stuck to the bionics' chest. The projectile resembled that of a kitchen timer, and when the pointer turned a notch, sparks coursed through every part of the poor Titans' body. "Draining my power cell!" Cyborg groaned as he slowly fell to the ground.

"You cannot defeat Warp. I am from the future." The man, now identified as Warp, boasted as he held up a large disc. He then threw it across the gallery toward a charging Robin, who threw a handful of his own discs as a counter attack.

Warp's projectile, however, proved to be the better as it smashed cleanly through them and flew toward the masked teen. Robin and Starfire dove to the sides as the large disc sailed the full length of the room and exploded at the other end.

"And you relics are one hundred years out of date." The time traveler taunted before he reached into the case that held the Clock of Eternity and removed the item. He then crossed the gallery, stepping over the downed heroes, and pressed the blue lens on his breastplate. It glowed blinding white and emitted a beam that formed into a portal identical to the one that originally brought him. "Ta-ta, Titans." Warp said as he faced the team, "I have enjoyed our time together, but I've got a very _bright_ future ahead of me." He turned to make his exit, but before he could clear out, Starfire flew straight toward him. "What?" The thief looked back just in time to see the redhead plow right into him. Her momentum was enough to carry both of them through the portal, which suddenly disappeared when they were gone-an instant before Robin hurled himself toward it in an attempt to follow.

"Starfire!" The masked leader cried after landing on the floor. The other Titans stared in complete disbelief at having just seen their friend disappear in front of them.

0-0

Floating through an odd subspace filled with nothing but timepieces working at high speeds, Starfire and Warp struggled against one another, the former trying to apprehend the man, the latter trying to escape.

"Let go!" The time thief demanded as he continued grappling with the Tamaranean.

"You have endangered my friends and _ruined_ Blorthog!" The enraged teen growled, never releasing her grip for a second.

"Stop! If you damage the suit before we reach my future-" As he spoke, the young teen got a hold on the lens, "No!"

Before he could stop the removal of the central piece, Starfire ripped it away. This resulted in Warp being hurled away from the girl. Once he receded from her view entirely, a bright white flash emanated from the immeasurable depths that teleported the alien teen and dropped her screaming out of the sky.

Landing in a deep snowdrift, the victorious Titan stood up and surveyed the area. She noticed it was nighttime with a bitter winter wind whistling over a snow-covered city. "Huh? What has happened?" Starfire asked, shivering as a result of the temperature, "Why is it cold? And where are my… *gasp*" The girl gasped when she looked up and saw the ruined remains of Titans Tower in front of her. "…friends?" The once magnificent structure now left the impression of having fallen into advanced disrepair. Picking herself up, she clipped the odd device she stole from Warp to her belt and quickly made her way into the building, hoping to find answers to these drastic changes.

0-0

"Friends? Hello? Friends?" The confused Tamaranean called out as she made her way through the top floor of the Tower. She noticed a hole had been smashed through the ceiling, allowing snowflakes to enter. "Hello!" She called out once more.

Finding a set of closed doors in her path, Starfire strained to push them open before finally succeeding in forcing the panels away. She gasped in shock as she realized she had found the remains of the Ops Center. Walking through the room, the redhead looked left and right, not believing a bit of what she saw. She then passed the GameStation controller that once sparked such a furor between her two gamer friends, and nudged one of the tinnabula bells she dropped. The jingling caused her to stop and recoil in fear for a moment before she leaned over and pick up one of the now badly rusted chimes.

She fixed it with a wide-eyed look of stunned sadness for a long second and watched as the aged piece of metal crumbled in her palm. It wasn't until the sound of machinery moving in the shadows behind her that she moved from her spot. "Cyborg!" The hopeful Tamaranean gasped as she turned to face the source. She saw a red dot glowing in the darkness, and held up a glowing hand to shed some light. "Oh, Cyborg, thank goodness you are-"

The illumination reached the dark niche and exposed something that had her cybernetic friends' approximate body shape, but was built entirely of mechanical parts. The source of the red spot was an electronic brain sitting in one side of the head. Starfire cried out in fear and threw a starbolt that blew the collection of circuitry away, only to be confronted by several spider-like robots that jumped up from behind the machines' shoulders, each looking like the part she just destroyed. In her terror, she continued tossing one shot after another to destroy the contraptions.

"Yo!" A familiar, yet older sounding, voice shouted from the entrance of the Ops Center. The scared Titan faced the source of the voice and saw a hulking silhouette with wires connected to the back. "Who's up here blasting my…" The figure stopped, lowered the piece of pipe it was carrying, and stared at the girl, completely stunned. "Star?" The Tamaranean was shocked to see what was in front of her. The man had aged lines on his face, the armored panels that covered most of his body were either damaged or missing, most of his left leg was replaced with some random components, and the blue lights that used to glow in his circuitry had gone out. "Starfire. I don't believe it." The aged bionic awed as he approached his long lost friend, discarding the bludgeon he had armed himself with. "You… you haven't aged a day!"

"Cyborg, what has happened?" The surprised girl asked as she cupped her hands on the sides of her friends' face, "Why are… you…"

"Old?" The old semi-robotic man smiled gently as he crossed the operations center, "Well, that's what happens to folks when you go away for twenty years."

"Twenty years?!" Starfire gasped.

"You disappeared, Star." Cyborg said as he slid some junk aside, "That battle with Warp, that was a long time ago. You fell through a wormhole, and…" The saddened mechanic looked out the cracked window and across the frozen bay, where the skyline of Jump City huddled under a blanket of snow and a cruel dark sky. "Welcome to the future."

"The future? But…" The confused alien removed the lens from her belt and held it in front of her, "…I damaged his technology."

The elderly Titan took the object and examined it, "Warp was planning to jump ahead one hundred years, right? Looks like you stopped him at twenty." He explained as he handed the device back.

"Still, I am confused. Please, why are you in disrepair?" The young Titan asked. This comment caused Cyborg to look at himself before turning away and walking over to a night table in the corner.

"Let's just say things… haven't gone so well since you left." He said regretfully as he pulled out something from the drawer.

Upon closer inspection, Starfire noticed the object to be a small wooden box with a wolf's head engraved on the top. This realization caused the Tamaranean to gasp sharply, knowing that the owner of the box always kept it close, "What has happened?"

With a sigh, the aged cybernetic man took a seat on the ground, still grasping the small music box. "It's a long story, Star."

The girl knelt next to her friend and placed a hand on his, "Please, Cyborg." She said with pleading eyes.

Returning the same sad look, Cyborg inhaled deeply before speaking, "After you disappeared, we tried everything to find you." He began, "But as more and more time passed, we began wondering if you'd ever return." His tone slowly became more and more depressed, as though remembering events he didn't want to. "Then one day, Robin and Kylar had a falling out. Ended with Robin leaving the team. I'd forgotten what the argument was about, but I hope it was something important." The Tamaranean listened intently as a deep sadness emerged in the old man's eyes. "We tried holding the team together with just the four of us, but..."

"What happened?" Starfire asked, her eyes filled with worry.

-0-

_We got a distress call from an old factory outside of town. At first, we didn't think anything of it…_

"Cy! This whole place is coming down!" Kylar shouted to his bionic friend.

"I _know_!" The metallic teen shouted as he shot off a blast from his sonic cannon at oncoming robotic commandos.

Fire burned all around the two teens as they ran across a steel walkway; the fire raged uncontrollably as it destroyed the building. Kylar held an unconscious Raven bridal-style, while Cyborg carried an unconscious Beast Boy over his shoulder.

_When we arrived, I detected high levels of pentaerythritol tetranitrate_. _But then Slade's robots got the jump on us, and in the fight, some boilers exploded._

More commandos leapt in front of the titanium African, but soon found themselves launched off the walkway into the blazing inferno below by a kick from the brunette. "They don't give up!" He yelled as another explosion of fire rose from underneath.

"And if that bomb goes off, who knows what it'll do to the city!" Cyborg alerted.

A cautious look came to the aura manipulators' face as he realized what could happen. Looking down, he saw what looked to be the broken head of a commando without the front end of its' face. Inside was a screen of what looked to be blueprints for a building. Reaching down and picking it up, careful so as not to drop the girl in his arms, he noticed a flashing _**S**_ and another red flashing dot.

The other conscious Titan passed him as he tried making his escape. "C'mon, we gotta get outta here!" He shouted.

"Cy." Kylar called out to him, stopping him in his tracks. He turned around and saw the brunette with a look of determination on his face. "Someone has to stop it."

Understanding what his friend said, Cyborg quickly voiced his opposition, "Oh, no. No, no, no. We're getting outta here!"

The stubborn brunette shook his head. Without saying a word, he handed Raven to the larger Titan and caressed her face gently with his right hand. "Get them to safety." He said before turning around.

"Ky! Where are you going?!" The semi-robotic teen shouted. If Kylar said anything back, he didn't hear it. "Ky! Kylar!" The next thing he saw was his friend turning around and tossing something at him. He held up his free hand and caught the object, recognizing it to be the music box.

"Take care of yourself." The aura manipulator returned with a smile.

"No…" Looking at the box in disbelief and then at the brunette, the bionic was about to chase after him, but another steel beam crashed against the walkway, creating a large gap between them.

"GO!" Kylar shouted before turning around and disappearing in the rising fire.

"Kylar! Kylar!" The metallic teen shouted to no avail. "AAAARRGH!" Cyborg roared before he turned around and sprinted in the opposite direction.

0-0

Once getting outside, and a safe distance from the burning factory, the African Titan propped his two unconscious friends against some rocks.

When he placed the mage down, she slowly came to, and saw the blazing inferno in the distance. "What… happened?" She muttered as she brought her right hand to her head.

"You got knocked out during the fight." Cyborg responded as he placed the shape-shifter against a rock.

As she stood up, Raven looked around and noticed someone was missing. "Where's Kylar?" The sorceress asked. The larger Titan didn't respond, worrying the girl as a result. "Cyborg…" She then saw him hold up the wooden music box her brown-haired friend always carried. "No…" She gasped, horrified at the revelation.

"He stayed behind to stop the bomb." The metallic teen stated with a sad look on his face.

"We have to go back!" The cloaked Titan stated hastily as she tried to fly off. But just as she got off the ground, an immense explosion erupted from the factory. Once the explosion ceased, both conscious Titans stared in horror at the destruction.

-0-

Inside the Tower, Starfire was standing in the middle of the Ops Center with her hands over her face while the older Titan stood near the window.

"Ky must've done something because nothing bad happened to the city." The old storyteller continued. "After that day, we tried holding the team together, but with just the three of us, it didn't last long. We drifted apart." Cyborg explained sadly as he hung his head.

"How could such terrible things…" The dismayed Tamaranean looked at the lens in her hand, "Warp! His interference in the past _must_ have changed our future." She reasoned.

"Star, I don't think-"

"_He_ caused all this badness to happen. _He_ made this technology, and _he_ is the one who can make things right!" She convinced herself before she flew over and landed by her aged friend. "We must find Warp. You will help me?"

"I wish I could." The old bionic replied before looking off toward a gasoline-powered generator in the corner of the room. On it were cables that looked to be the same that were connected to his back. "My last power cell burned out years ago. I've tried adapting this new stuff to my old circuits, but…" He hung his head in shame. "I can't leave the Tower, Star. I'm obsolete."

0-0

In search for her remaining friends, Starfire set out toward Jump City. Flying over the snow-covered landscape, she recalled the conversation she had with her worn out friend before she left the Tower.

'_Maybe the others can help_.' Cyborgs' voice rang out in her mind as the cold air came across her face. '_I can tell you how to find BB and Raven_.'

'_And Robin?_'

'_We never got in contact since he left. If you're looking for him, you're on your own._'

0-0

Inside of a large circus wagon on the outskirts of a circus fairground, a green seal slid across the ground and barked. The animal then jumped onto a nearby crate and balanced a ball on its' nose. Bouncing the ball up, the seal transformed into a frog before catching the ball on the way down.

Outside of the exhibit, two boys watched the show. They were mostly bald except for small spikes on their heads, substituting their hair, and wore pink visors that hid their eyes completely. One held a pink ice cream cone and wore a blue winter coat while the other wore a light purple winter coat, neither of them impressed by the whole spectacle.

Inside the cage, the animal assumed the form of a panda and continued balancing the ball on its' nose. It then transformed into a pig, but a snowball flung in and knocked him over, sending the ball flying.

"You stink, pig!" The boy in the purple coat laughed as they both jeered and threw snowballs at the poor creature. After one last salvo, the ice cream cone was thrown in and the two boys left.

The green porker sat dejectedly as the cone melted on his head before sliding off. The animal looked down and sighed before a familiar person landed on the other side of the bars. After seeing the long lost friend, the pig transformed back into human form, revealing a much older Beast Boy-bald on top, having gained a great deal of weight, and not wearing his belt.

"No way!" The green man exclaimed as he moved to the bars, "It's you. But how?" As he spoke, the young Titan recognized defeat permeating every syllable in his voice.

"I require your help." Starfire told him.

"What kinda help?" Beast Boy sighed, still in disbelief at the person standing in front of him.

"The future is not as it should be. We must find Warp." She said as she warmed up starbolts in her hands. "I will free you from this-"

"This cage isn't to keep me in!" The changeling shouted in a panic as he held out his hands to stop his friend, "It's to keep those maniacs out!" The warning worked since Starfire dispersed her powers. "Look. After the Titans broke up, I tried the whole solo-hero thing. Got my butt kicked-a lot. So now, well…" Beast Boy transformed into a squawking chicken to make a point. "Besides, I'm in the showbiz now." He chuckled as he smiled weakly.

The Tamaraneans' emerald eyes told just how false this excuse rang with her, but seeing as she could say nothing that would give her fallen friend the confidence to change his mind, she left in search of her next target.

0-0

Inside a broken-down building, Starfire walked along a balcony where a single fluorescent tube flickered at the far end of the walkway. When she reached the end, a steel door greeted her as she grabbed the knob and turned it. Opening the door, she saw a room of nothing but pure white, with no features of any kind visible. In the far corner, wearing a white cloak with the hood up, a short figure stood with its head bowed and back turned to the hopeful alien.

"Raven?" Starfire called out as she approached the cloaked figure, "Raven, it is Starfire, your friend."

"No such thing." The figure responded without turning from the corner. The voice belonged to the Gothic sorceress, but sounded as though the past twenty years had broken her mind and body entirely.

"Please, Raven, I-"

"Just another figment. Don't even look." Raven convinced herself as she still faced the wall.

"You must listen! I am here because-"

"I'm never coming back! Go away!" The white-cloaked mage shouted furiously as she floated to another corner of the room. "It has to go away… Just like before…" She said to herself as she hung her head, "Just like _all_ the others."

"Your mind." Starfire realized as she tried reaching out to her friend, "Without friends, you must have-*_gasp_*" Before she could touch her former teammate's back, a shield popped up to block her, surprising the orange Titan. Dropping her head, resignedly, she exited and closed the door behind her, leaving Raven alone in the solitary room, still facing the wall.

0-0

After two failed attempts at trying to persuade her former friends, Starfire found herself standing on top of a building overlooking Jump City.

"Perhaps it truly is hopeless." The girl sighed dejectedly. Her attention was caught when she heard a rustling noise behind her. Turning around, she noticed a figure leap off the edge of the building. Running over to the edge, she saw the figure running across another rooftop, but noticed something surprising. The figure was wearing a familiar black jacket with its hood up. "Kylar?" She whispered to herself before flying after the figure.

0-0

She followed the hooded figure to the outskirts of town, where the figure ran into an abandoned warehouse. Once there, the figure quickly grabbed the bottom of a garage door and threw it open before entering. Chasing it inside, Starfire looked around the chamber, thinking she had lost it. To her relief, the sound of footsteps running down metal stairs caught her attention. Looking to the side, she saw a flight of stairs that led underground and quickly flew down them in hopes of finding answers.

At the bottom of the stairs, however, the Tamaranean saw nothing but darkness surrounding her, with only the light from the upper floor shining through to the bottom.

"Hello?" She called out as she warmed a starbolt in her hand to give her some light. The neon green glow did not illuminate the entire area, but it was enough for her to see. "Is anyone here?" She called out again as she ventured into the abyss. She nervously looked around, but found nothing and soon thought of giving up. As she turned to leave, she bumped into a taller figure. After realizing the figure was wearing the black jacket, her face lit up with a smile. "Friend Kylar! Oh, I knew it couldn't be true!" She cheered, "Cyborg told me you were-" But before she finished her sentence, the green glow illuminated the inside of the hood, revealing it to be robotic. With a scream, she quickly jumped away from the mechanized being and primed her hands with starbolts.

To the alien teens' surprise, overhanging lights in the underground area went off, creating pools of light that formed a path in front of her. Confused, the young Titan looked at the hooded figure, which began walking toward the end of the path, beckoning for the girl to follow. A desk with a chair behind it was at the end of the lighted path. However, the object _on_ the desk drew her attention immediately as she recognized it to be a Titan Communicator. With a gasp, she picked up the device and stared at it.

"I see the years have been kind to you." Starfire heard a voice say from among the shadows. The voice sounded familiar to her, but it was aged, very calm, and spoken in an erudite tone.

"Who is there?" She called out as she turned around to face the source of the voice.

From the shadows, a figure wearing a full-length black coat with a hood covering the head stepped into a pool of light. It had a large silver zipper that fastened at the top and zipped down to seal the coat. It had silver drawstrings for the hood that were decorated with a large silver bead hanging from the end and a silver chain ornament adorned with four large cylindrical silver beads that fastened to a loop on either side of the collarbone region. "It truly has been a long time, hasn't it?" The figure asked.

"Who are you? And why do you have this?" Starfire demanded as she readied a starbolt in her right hand.

"Come now, is that any way to greet…" The figure said as he pulled down its' hood, "…an old friend?"

"_*Gasp*_" The young Titan was so shocked by who it was she was speaking to; she could do nothing but stare in disbelief.

Underneath the hood was a man with slicked back brown hair, a recognizable face, and unmistakable blue eyes. "I'm glad to see you too, Starfire." The man smiled.

"Kylar…" The Tamaranean reached out to touch the taller figure, making sure he was actually there. When her hand pressed against his chest, her face quickly beamed, "Friend Kylar! I am most pleased to see you alive!" The girl cheered as she gave her long lost friend a hug. Kylar only smiled as he returned the gesture. "But, Cyborg told me you had perished in the explosion." She said as she let go of the older brunette.

"I suppose he would believe that." Kylar returned as he walked past the girl toward his desk, his back facing the girl when he reached it.

His words confused her, "I do not understand, if you are alive, why have you not told the others?" She asked as she gave the black-coated man a long and puzzled stare. "What has happened to you?"

The brunette took a moment before turning around to face his young friend.

-0-

"Ky! Where are you going?!" The semi-robotic teen shouted, the raging fire around them causing more and more destruction.

"To end this." Kylar said under his breath.

"Ky! Kylar!" The brunette heard Cyborg shout again. In the next moment, he turned around and threw his music box to his larger friend, who caught it with his free hand.

"Take care of yourself." The aura manipulator returned with a smile.

"No…" Kylar heard his friend mutter. He then saw that the bionic was about to chase after him, but another steel beam crashed against the walkway, creating a large gap between them.

"GO!" The black-jacketed Titan shouted before turning around and disappearing in the rising fire.

0-0

Recognizing the red dot on the screen to be the placement of the head, Kylar followed the map to where the _**S**_ was. Finding himself two floors underground, he noticed the fire hadn't spread that far yet, but it was only a matter of time.

Without lights, there was only darkness in the area he was in, the only sound he could hear was the sound of metal clanking together as though gears were shifting. Looking at the screen one more time, the Titan noticed the red dot was now near the _**S**_.

"It should be around here somewhere." Kylar said to himself as he looked around the chamber. After scanning the room, he saw what looked to be a large metallic rectangle with glowing red lines that ran up the edges. "There!" He quickly ran over to the device and saw a small screen with a keyboard on the front. After some typing, a panel opened above the keyboard. Inside, he saw a glowing green core rotating at a fast speed. "Okay, I can do this." The brunette reassured himself. However, before he could remove the green core, a shadow barreled into him, knocking him away from the device. After catching himself and landing in a crouch, Kylar recognized just who attacked him. "Slade, what a sur_prise_." The teen stated flatly.

"I'm afraid I can't let you tamper with the nuke." The villainous mercenary said as he typed on the keyboard, closing the panel as he did so.

"Nuke!? Why do you have a nuke?!"

"With the radiation, the entire area will be uninhabitable and destroy any living thing in a 30 mile radius." Slade explained as he circled the young Titan.

"You're insane." Kylar growled as he formed his purplish-black energy around his arms.

"Funny. Robin would have said the same thing." The armored commando compared, "Shame he isn't here, I guess I'll make due with you."

With a growl, the aura manipulator charged the villain, leading with a right hook. Slade quickly ducked out of the way and with the momentum delivered a roundhouse kick that hit the teen in his face. Without giving him any room to breath, Slade then followed up with a few punches to the sternum and face. He then grabbed Kylar by the arm and threw him across the room.

After skidding across the ground, the young hero rolled out of the way to dodge an oncoming stomp from his opponent. He then formed orbs of energy in his hand and began hurling them at the mercenary. Leaping high off the ground, Slade was able to dodge a few of them. But one lucky shot struck its' target square in his chest, knocking the commando out of the air.

After landing on the ground, Slade's eye popped out of his head in surprise when he saw the Titan fly at him with a right hook that connected with the left side of his face. He then felt another punch strike him in the stomach, knocking him across the room. Now on the other end of the room, the villain picked himself up, "I must say, I'm impressed." He congratulated. "My interest in you was well placed."

"I don't care what you think." Kylar growled as he approached the commando.

"You would've been an excellent apprentice." Slade said before charging the young Titan.

Leading with a straight jab, Slade struck the brunette in the face, but found himself struck by a blow as well. Back and forth, both combatants traded hits, neither backing down from each other. As the fight carried on, both hero and villain found themselves breathing heavily as they broke away from each other.

To make matters worse, the fire from a few floors up finally caught up with the brunette and began consuming the area around them. Debris began falling from the ceiling and would've crushed both opponents had they not rolled out of the way.

With the fire illuminating the area with a reddish orange glow, Kylar could better see the chamber he was in. That didn't help much, though, as he lost sight of the man he was trying to defeat. Quickly turning his attention to the nuke, he ran over and began typing again. This time, without hesitation, he removed the core and crushed it in his hands.

"NO!" Kylar heard a voice shout before feeling a heavy mass knock him away from the bomb. "You may have removed the core, but the bomb _will_ go off." Slade threatened as he slammed his right fist against the keyboard. As a result, small red numbers appeared on the screen and began counting down, beginning at **3:00**.

"HHHHRRRAAAAAA!" The brunette roared as he tackled the mercenary to the ground. Pinning his body, Kylar began unleashing punch after punch on the villain. He held nothing back as he struck the man in the face over and over again, eventually destroying the mask that covered his opponents' face. After a few moments, the Titan stood up and seized Slade by the neck with his left hand as pulled him up. He stared into the broken mans' eye as he held him at his mercy.

"You won't finish me off. You don't have the _guts_." Slade mocked. "You'll get us out of here, I'll escape, and then come up with a new plan."

"No, you won't." Kylar stated icily.

Understanding what the brunette was saying, the menacing mercenary began chuckling, "Then I'll see yo-GRK!" He couldn't even finish his sentence as the one who had him by the throat drove his right arm through his torso.

As the life left Slade's eye, Kylar dropped the villain to the ground. Staring at the lifeless body at his feet, a sinister smile crept across the teens' face as he let out a small chuckle. After a while, that chuckle grew louder and louder into a maniacal laughter as the fire continued roaring and debris fell around him. Under his feet, the ground began crumbling and eventually gave out, sending the laughing Titan and the body plummeting into a dark underground chasm.

-0-

Back in the dark chamber, Starfire stared in wide-eyed horror at the older brunette, who was now standing behind the desk.

"I fell into that dark chasm, and when I came out my eyes were opened." Kylar explained, "I finally realized what needed to be done to truly make a difference. So that's exactly what I did."

The Tamaranean brought her hands to her mouth and gasped, "You mean you…"

"I think it goes without saying." The black-coated man said.

Starfire couldn't believe what she was hearing. It pained her to see how far her friend had fallen. "So everything really _has_ changed." She sighed sadly. "But why have you not told our friends you were alive?"

Kylar began chuckling a bit at her question, "You've seen the others. The Titans are finished. Besides, I was finally able to make the city safe. I accomplished _much_ more by myself than I did as part of a team." He turned his back to the young girl, "What need to I have for friends?"

The aura manipulators' words carried a harsh sting with them. Fighting back tears, the orange alien looked at the communicator in her hand. "If what you say is true, and you do believe you do not need friends, why did you keep this?" She asked as she placed the device on the desk.

Kylar had no answer for her.

Hanging her head sadly, Starfire turned around and left her former friend in the lonely pool of light at his desk, passing the hooded robot on her way out.

Once she was out of the building, the older brunette turned around and stared at the T-Communicator. With a growl, he raised his fist, ready to destroy the device. But when he brought it down, he slammed his fist into the desk, leaving the device untouched. Closing his eyes, he hung his head in defeat and thought about his former teammates' question.

0-0

Starfire had finally lost all hope. Meeting each of her friends and seeing just how terrible their lives turned out had crushed her spirit. With nowhere else to go, she plodded down a street through the snow that thickly covered the street. To her surprise, a laser blast flew her way and knocked her back.

"What's the matter, dear? Have I come at a bad time?" The time traveling thief asked, standing on a ledge overhead. He then released a fusillade of blasts that peppered the snow all around his target.

The Tamaranean stood for a moment, pinned down, but then got clear off the ground. Flying past Warp and over the buildings, Starfire dodged his shots and returned fire, but they proved to be inefficient as the man put up a force field to stop the attack. She then floated down to his level and got ready to release a powerful shot, but a mere wave of the hand encased her in ice, dropping her out of the air. After crashing into the ground, the frozen layer shattered, leaving her twitching and groaning in a crater of snow.

She quickly righted herself when she heard Warp stepping closer to her. She shot the villain a glowing green glare, but soon changed it to a stare of bewilderment. "You have also become old." Starfire said, realizing his face had also looked as though it aged twenty years.

"That's what happens when someone steals my vortex regulator." Warp explained as he held up his left hand to the kneeling girl. "The regulator, if you please. I really _must_ get back to my future."

Starfire quickly stood up and pulled the lens-like device off her belt. "If you _ever_ wish to see your future-" She threatened menacingly as she warmed up a starbolt in her free hand, "-you will repair the damage you have done to my past!"

"Damage?" The older time traveler asked as he cocked his eyebrow, "Silly girl. There's nothing wrong with your past. One cannot _damage_ history, because history cannot be changed." He explained as he held up the Clock of Eternity, "I went back in time to steal this because history says it disappeared. And history says it disappeared because I went back to steal it. Past, present, future. It's all written in stone, my dear." Defeated, Starfire dispelled her blast and hung her head, leaving Warp to take the regulator from her hand. "And nothing you do can ever change it." He said as he raised one arm and extended a blaster from his wrist.

He would have fired at the saddened girl, but a mysterious shadow hurtled in and knocked him into an alley. Standing up, Warp noticed the figure as a black silhouette with long hair, but soon found himself thrown even farther down the way to bounce off a dead-end wall. The figure produced a couple of discs between its fingers and threw them, while running straight toward the blast zone with a jump. They exploded in a fireball that engulfed the time traveler, but caused no harm to the man as he shielded himself with a force field. Looking to the sky, he noticed the attacker dropping straight toward him. "Another time, perhaps." The criminal said as he phased through the ground an instant before the leaping shadow landed on him.

Starfire moved cautiously into the alley as the person straightened up. She couldn't discern any features of the shadow, but the voice was unmistakable. "It's good to see you again." The shadow said.

The orange teens' eyes widened after recognizing the voice, "Robin?" She asked.

"I haven't used that name in a long time." He said as he advanced into the light, revealing every new detail about the once short sidekick; skintight black uniform, with a large angular design of a blue hawk on his chest, black gloves, a matching eye mask that angled down to cover his nose, and long black hair that went past his shoulders. "Call me Nightwing."

0-0

After a short reunion, Nightwing led his young friend to an underground lair where the sound of machinery was heard. As they made their way further into the chamber, Starfire saw a bank of computers and control panels on the one side, with a chair in front, and two cylindrical storage containers across from them.

Making her way across a walkway, she stopped and recognized something inside one of the glass containers: Robin's old outfit. Finally acknowledging the fact that everything had changed, Starfire sighed quietly and wrapped her arms around her body for warmth, but soon felt a blanket get wrapped around her shoulders by her black and blue friend.

"I heard you've been looking for help." The older Boy Wonder stated as he approached the monitors.

"There is nothing you can do. There is nothing anyone can do." The Tamaranean stated sadly, "The past cannot be repaired, the future cannot be altered, no matter how wrong it seems."

"So it's impossible." Nightwing summarized once he finally reached his monitors, "Good. If memory serves, we've done the impossible before." These words brought hope to the young Titan, believing something could truly be changed. The longhaired hero then pressed a button that opened a panel on his computer, "I held onto this just in case."

Starfire moved closer to make sure her eyes were not deceiving her. Knowing that Kylar had kept his, and now seeing that Robin, or rather Nightwing, still held onto his, then perhaps the others still had theirs as well. The black and blue hero picked it up and pressed the button on its' side, instantly resulting in the T flashing red.

To the aliens' delight, the black stones on her neckpiece and wrist guards came to life in the same manner.

0-0

Inside the circus cage, a green dog on its hind legs was bouncing a ball on its' snout. In the corner, hanging on a peg, the buckle on an old gray belt began flashing. The beeping sound drew the animals' attention and made it forget the bouncing. Transforming back into human form, Beast Boy dropped his jaw slightly in surprise, but then closed it as he hung his head sadly.

0-0

In the white room, Raven was still facing the wall, though the shield she had used to block her visitor was now gone. To her surprise, the brooch on her cloak began flashing red, causing her to lift her right hand to cover it.

0-0

Deep in the underground darkness of the warehouse, Kylar was summoning his aura around his arms as he dispelled energy throughout the room. The sound on his T-Communicator beeping caught his attention as he dispelled his power and approached the device. Once he reached his desk, he picked up the device and stared at it with a determined look.

0-0

Inside the Tower, Cyborg sat in the Ops Center, staring sadly at the wooden music box in his hands. Suddenly, his eye implant flickered red, responding to the call. Without thinking, he got to his feet and started out the door, but the cables on his back pulled taut and stopped him. He gasped softly and looked back over his shoulder at the power source that anchored him.

0-0

Elsewhere in the city, a familiar time traveling villain made use of a welding torch to place a strange lens back in place. Warp was inside the former museum, now known as Metro Arts Technologies, and delighted in the idea of soon returning to his own time.

"Tick-tock. Tick-tock." He smiled as he continued welding the regulator to his chest. "Just a few more seconds, and I shall finally-Ack!" He cried when a short staff struck the tool from his hand. Looking to the source of the attack, Warp saw the short staff return to the black and blue hero, who was crouched on a balcony railing with the Tamaranean floating next to him, starbolts ready in each hand.

"The future will have to wait." Nightwing as he extended the staff, "You just ran out of time."

With a frustrated growl, the villain brought up his shoulder lasers and fired off a few rounds that sent the two heroes diving away. The older masked hero scaled a handful of explosive discs at him while Starfire unloaded a blast from her hand. Again, these caused no damage as Warp brought up a force field to stop their onslaught.

The two came down to ground level as he dropped the barrier while the smoke cleared. He then released a salvo from both barrels as they rushed him. The auburn-haired Titan fired off a shot at the man, but was deflected back toward her. Realizing this happened the first time they fought, the girl flew out of the way and dodged the ricochet.

Meanwhile, Nightwing charged through Warp's laser blasts and leapt into the air to attack the time-jumping thief. Coming down, the end of his staff shattered one of the two blasters before he leapt away and landed behind his target. Turning around to attack the former Titan, the villain was bowled over by an unsuspecting starbolt. After standing up, Warp fired more lasers from his remaining blaster, but they were batted away by the metal staff. He then found himself on the defensive again as the masked man brought his staff in for more swings, forcing him to back up as he blocked each strike.

Nightwing fought like a bojutsu master on speed, his staff appearing everywhere almost at once. One final roundhouse found its mark and sent Warp to the ground. Both heroes stepped up to him, but the criminal just grinned and adjusted the aim of his working laser. A shot went straight up to the roof and blew a hole through it, dumping in a pile of snow and rubble that buried the orange alien.

"Star!" Nightwing shouted before getting blasted away by the master of time.

After finding himself in a safe position, Warp ran across the gallery and picked up the welding torch that was knocked out of his hand. But before he could do any more repair work, a mighty blue, white-ringed blast connected squarely with his chest and sent him crashing behind some cabinets.

After digging up his buried teammate, Nightwing and Starfire looked confusedly back toward the source of the blast, only to see the bionic man himself, on the scene and free of the wiring that had held him in place. They also noticed his circuitry glowing blue with life again.

"Boo-yah." Cyborg said as he lowered his cannon.

"Cyborg!" The happy Tamaranean cheered as she flew over to him, "You are repaired!"

"Glad you could make it." The black-haired hero smiled as he placed his right hand on his old friends' shoulder.

"Wouldn't have missed it. Now who said y'all could start without me?" The rejuvenated African asked.

Enraged at the constant setbacks, Warp stepped up to the trio, "So sorry." He said as he held a timer device like the one that drained the bionic mans' power cell in the past, "Perhaps I should finish you first!"

Before he could do anything, a green lion charged in and raked its' claws along the gold armor that sent sparks up from it. Warp then lifted his arm and brought the blaster up from his wrist, ready to fire. But to his surprise, black magic surrounded itself over his hand, then his whole body, and flung him to the far wall.

The four heroes looked the way the villain flew, completely at a loss, and saw a black energy materialize from the floor. It rose high into the air in the form of a black bird that swirled and became the telekinetic former Titan. "Nobody hurts my friends." Raven stated as she floated to join the other four.

As she touched the ground, Beast Boy had morphed back into human form, looked up at Nightwing's full head of hair, and rubbed his own bald scalp enviously. "Dude, that is _so_ unfair."

After picking himself off the ground, Warp activated the regulator and opened a wormhole, ready to return to his time. "It seems my time has come." He turned to step through the portal, but a pillar of purplish-black energy shot up from the ground, blocking the man.

To everyone's surprise, a fully coated figure with its' hood up flew in from the side and struck the villain in the side, followed by a roundhouse kick that sent the villain skidding across the ground. After watching the villain slide away, the Titans turned their attention to the mysterious figure and readied themselves for a fight, all except Starfire.

"Kylar." The Tamaranean smiled as she approached the coated figure.

"What?!" Beast Boy and Cyborg shouted in surprise. Nightwing and Raven remained silent, but the looks on their faces spoke volumes of their shock.

As he turned to face his friends, Kylar pulled down his hood, "Hello, friends." He addressed with a smile.

His five friends quickly ran up and surrounded him; his green and bionic friends bombarding him with questions. Before he could answer any of them, though, Warp stood up and primed the blaster on his wrist. "Sorry to break the reunion." He growled.

Just as he was about to fire the weapon, Nightwing hurled a compact device with wings extended that slammed into his regulator and cracked it, causing electricity to crackle all over his body as he began growing younger before their eyes. "Uh?! No! Noooo! NOOOOOOO!" The time traveler cried as his body shrunk, disappearing inside the golden chest plate.

Approaching the remaining rags, Beast Boy reached down and pulled the breastplate away, revealing a screaming baby. "Okay. I am _not_ changing any diapers."

After finally registering what happened to Warp, Kylar pulled the regulator from the breastplate and tossed it to his semi-robotic friend, "Cyborg, we need to get her home."

"Right." He nodded as he attached the lens to the muzzle of his cannon. He then fired a sustained blast at the wormhole and forced it back to its original size. "I'm redirecting the wormhole. Starfire, go!"

The girl in question stepped uneasily toward it, but stopped and looked back pleadingly at her former friends. "Please, must this really be our future?" She did not receive an answer. "Is there nothing I can do to change it?"

Nightwing stepped up to the desperate girl. "I'm sorry, Star. There isn't time." He said as he took her hand and placed the Clock of Eternity in it. She looked at the piece of technology but soon faced her friend again when he placed a hand on her shoulder. She gave him a tender smile while tears began forming in her eyes. He took a few steps back to join the rest of the old crew and watched as the young Titan stepped into the black gateway.

0-0

Twenty years earlier, the team was fighting with Warp. After successfully defeating his foes, the time traveler was about to escape through the wormhole with the Clock.

"Ta-ta, Titans." He said as he faced the team, "I have enjoyed our time together, but I've got a very _bright_ future ahead of me." He turned to make his exit, but before he could clear out, Starfire flew straight toward him. "What?" The thief looked back just in time to see the redhead plow right into him. Her momentum was enough to carry both of them through the portal, which suddenly disappeared when they were gone-an instant before Robin hurled himself toward it in an attempt to follow.

"Starfire!" The masked leader cried after landing on the floor.

"Um, where did she-" Beast Boy began but was cut off as a second wormhole opened behind him, Kylar, and Cyborg. To their surprise, Starfire rolled out and landed in a huddled kneeling position, cradling the Clock.

Facing her, the four boys leaned in, completely mystified. "Dude!"

"Whoa!"

"How?"

"Star! What happened?" Robin asked as the wormhole closed behind the girl.

"History said it disappeared," The Tamaranean said as she straightened up and held out the Clock, "But history was wrong!" The four teens could only stare thunderstruck at this instant reversal of fortune and recorded events.

0-0

After returning the Clock back to its rightful place. The Titans returned to their home where they were treated to an incredible story from the extraterrestrial friend.

"Then Nightwing handed me the Clock and I entered the vortex." Starfire finished. The other five Titans stared in complete bewilderment after hearing about the depressing future she visited. Among the team, Beast Boy's cheeks were streaked with tears as a long silence filled the room.

"Whoa." Raven muttered, finally breaking the silence.

"I can't believe I do that." Kylar awed as he scratched his chin.

"Bald?!" The changeling cried in shock, "You're telling me I'm going to be bald?!" He whined as he tore out most of his hair, making him resemble his future self.

"Guess you were right about all that Rekmas stuff." Cyborg sighed; realizing his fear of becoming obsolete had come true.

"I don't want us to drift apart." Robin said sadly, "Does it all have to happen? Isn't there anything we can-"

"Our friendship has already changed Warp's past." The auburn-haired Titan reassured him, "I believe it can also change our future."

One by one, the loose bells from the string that broke under Cyborg's and Kylar's weight floated up in the mages' influence. "So, is it too late to do this festival-of-friendship thing?" She asked as the bells reassembled themselves.

"Oh, it's _never_ too late!" Starfire cheered ecstatically, her eyes widening with happiness while an ear-to-ear grin spread across her face.

Raven levitated some tinnabulas down around Beast Boy's, Cyborg's, Kylar's, and her own neck. "HAPPY BLORTHOG!" The hulking bionic shouted in the mage's ear, causing her bells to jingle. Kylar stood next to the cloaked Titan and blew a party blower in celebration.

"I thought it was 'Blort-hog.'" The green teen said, his hairline having fixed itself.

"Okay, I feel like a wind chime." The sorceress complained.

Near the window, Starfire put a tinnabula around her masked friends' neck. After looking at it, he lifted his head and smiled, "So… Nightwing, huh?"

* * *

**"_The future hasn't been written yet. No one's has. Your future is whatever you make it. So make it a good one [all] of you._'**

**-Doctor Emmett Brown**

**Author's Note:**

**And with that, Season Two is off to a start. Thank you all again for your love and support, I have so much fun writing this story and I'm happy there are people out there who enjoy reading it.**

**Special thanks and shout outs to pyrojack25 for your suggestions and idea for the chapter. Talking to you really helped with my writers block. But I want to apologize since us talking definitely spoiled a lot of future chapters to you, so... yeah... sorry...**

**Anyway, if you enjoyed the chapter, write a review if you want to and favorite and follow to keep up with any updates that come later.**

**It saddens me to say goodbye, but it's that time.**

**Until we meet again, See You Space Cowboys.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the DC Universe nor do I own anything from Teen Titans. Any other references made belong to their respective owners, again I own nothing.**


End file.
